--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For years, since the eighteenth century…" description: "\"“For years, since the eighteenth century, and in each century since, we have said at home, in England, in Whitehall, that the day would come when our r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/paul-scott-8558_friendship_for-years-since-the-eighteenth-century-a_1693561.jpg" --- # For years, since the eighteenth century, and in each… ![“For years, since the eighteenth century, and in each century since, we have said at home, in England, in Whitehall, that the day would come when our rule in India will end, not bloodily, but in peace, in—so we made it seem—a perfect gesture of equality and friendship and love. For years, for…” quote by Paul Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/paul-scott-8558_friendship_for-years-since-the-eighteenth-century-a_1693561.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/paul-scott-8558_friendship_for-years-since-the-eighteenth-century-a_1693561.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af6/paul-scott-8558_friendship_for-years-since-the-eighteenth-century-a_1693561.jpg) > ““For years, since the eighteenth century, and in each century since, we have said at home, in England, in Whitehall, that the day would come when our rule in India will end, not bloodily, but in peace, in—so we made it seem—a perfect gesture of equality and friendship and love. For years, for nearly a century, the books that Indians have read have been the books of our English radicals, our English liberals. There has been, you see, a seed. A seed planted in the Indian imagination and in the English imagination. Out of it was to come something sane and grave, full of dignity, full of thoughtfulness and kindness and peace and wisdom. For all these qualities are in us, in you, and in me, in old Joseph and Mr. Narayan and Mr. White and I suppose in Brigadier Reid. And they were there too, in Mr. Chaudhuri. For years we have been promising and for years finding means of putting the fulfilment of the promise off until the promise stopped looking like a promise and started looking only like a sinister prevarication, even to me, let alone to Indians who think and feel and know the same as me. And the tragedy is that between us there is this little matter of the colour of the skin, which gets in the way of our seeing through each other’s failings and seeing into each other’s hearts. Because if we saw through them, into them, then we should know. And what we should know is that the promise is a promise and will be fulfilled.” But”” [Paul Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-scott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The promise of peaceful decolonization is repeatedly delayed, with racial prejudice obscuring mutual understanding and genuine equality. **In simple terms:** Promises of peace are stalled by racism. Key Takeaway Confront and dismantle racial biases to honor commitments. Themes colonialism race politics promise trust justice Mood critical hopeful Type political ethical When to use this quote - policy reform - educational programs - dialogue initiatives - community reconciliation Key Concepts imperialism racial prejudice political rhetoric ethical responsibility Questions to Reflect On - What concrete steps can fulfill the promise? - How can we overcome skin‑color barriers? A Different Perspective Idealistic visions may ignore structural power imbalances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Friendship and love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship-and-love/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [The time has come when I am for everybody fighting the rebels. Let Indians fight them; let the Negroes fight them; and if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-time-has-come-when-i-am-for-everybody-fighting-the-rebels-let/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Even though many Indians can read or speak English, for most, it is not their first language. At the office, we speak in English,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amish-tripathi/even-though-many-indians-can-read-or-speak-english-for-most-it-is-not/) [Amish Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amish-tripathi/) > [When we judge one another! 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