--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did stuff for three years in Kabul that…" description: "\"I did stuff for three years in Kabul that I found exciting, and a lot of that was fixing roofs, talking about sewage installation.\" — Rory Stewart" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/rory-stewart-11028_about_i-did-stuff-for-three-years-in-kabul-tha_2587773.jpg" --- # I did stuff for three years in Kabul that I found… ![“I did stuff for three years in Kabul that I found exciting, and a lot of that was fixing roofs, talking about sewage installation.” quote by Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/rory-stewart-11028_about_i-did-stuff-for-three-years-in-kabul-tha_2587773.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/rory-stewart-11028_about_i-did-stuff-for-three-years-in-kabul-tha_2587773.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/rory-stewart-11028_about_i-did-stuff-for-three-years-in-kabul-tha_2587773.jpg) > “I did stuff for three years in Kabul that I found exciting, and a lot of that was fixing roofs, talking about sewage installation.” [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Service in conflict zones blends mundane tasks with profound experiences, revealing unexpected value in ordinary work. **In simple terms:** Ordinary work can be meaningful in conflict. Key Takeaway Find purpose in everyday tasks. Themes service conflict mundane work Mood reflective inspirational Type memoir sociological When to use this quote - humanitarian aid - infrastructure projects - community building - personal growth Key Concepts political science human geography Questions to Reflect On - What hidden lessons arise from routine work? - How does mundane labor affect morale? A Different Perspective Routine tasks may be overlooked amid crisis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Kabul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kabul/) ## Related quotes > [In Tunisia, the so-called Yasmin revolution has led to the installation of a relatively moderate Islamic government. Whether or not that means democracy will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/in-tunisia-the-so-called-yasmin-revolution-has-led-to-the/) [Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/) > [I'd be all for everybody keeping their sidearms if they're in the military and on a military installation. That's something we need to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-gohmert/i-d-be-all-for-everybody-keeping-their-sidearms-if-they-re-in-the/) [Louie Gohmert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-gohmert/) > [I don't necessarily think that installation is the only way to go. It's just a label for certain kinds of arrangements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/i-don-t-necessarily-think-that-installation-is-the-only-way-to-go-it/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [All of the significant art of today stems from Conceptual art. This includes the art of installation, political, feminist and socially directed art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/all-of-the-significant-art-of-today-stems-from-conceptual-art-this/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [I became much more interested in plot when I really didn't consider myself a writer anymore. When I was in an art context and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vito-acconci/i-became-much-more-interested-in-plot-when-i-really-didn-t-consider/) [Vito Acconci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vito-acconci/) > [Real philosophy is like trying to read an alarm system installation manual in Korean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/real-philosophy-is-like-trying-to-read-an-alarm-system-installation/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [Since the moment of the United Nations' inception, untold energies have been expended by governments not only toward the exclusion of persons of principle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/since-the-moment-of-the-united-nations-inception-untold-energies-have/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [Antiwar protestors actually sabotaged and caused a huge amount of damage to military installations and military property during the war. 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It can take a lot out of me, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-chalayan/i-can-be-working-on-a-collection-and-a-film-at-the-same-time-it-can/) [Hussein Chalayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-chalayan/) > [The geometry reveals five development direction for applications (each with endless possibilities); dividing, dwelling, trestle, fenestration and artistic installation. I find these enabled designs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dror-benshetrit/the-geometry-reveals-five-development-direction-for-applications-each/) Dror Benshetrit > [Originally, one of the reasons I was drawn to photography, as opposed to painting or sculpture or installation, is that of all the arts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/originally-one-of-the-reasons-i-was-drawn-to-photography-as-opposed/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [All the necessary elements of a room should not arrive on installation day. Room should always be left for the things we will acquire...the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-moss/all-the-necessary-elements-of-a-room-should-not-arrive-on/) [Charlotte Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-moss/) ## More by Rory Stewart > [This idea that failure is not an option: It makes failure invisible, inconceivable and inevitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/this-idea-that-failure-is-not-an-option-it-makes-failure-invisible/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [If a relationship is going wrong, if a marriage is going wrong, the answer cannot simply be to say, 'You can't afford to break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/if-a-relationship-is-going-wrong-if-a-marriage-is-going-wrong-the/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [ “He \[Babur\] was a ype of mastiff, bred to fight against wolves, dogs, and humans. . . . The mastiff is perhaps the oldest… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/he-babur-was-a-ype-of-mastiff-bred-to-fight-against-wolves-dogs-and/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [The politicians think the journalists have power, the journalists think bankers have power, bankers think lawyers have power. The truth is, nobody has power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/the-politicians-think-the-journalists-have-power-the-journalists/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [“I recited and followed this song-of-the-places-in-between as a map.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-recited-and-followed-this-song-of-the-places-in-between-as-a-map/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [The Afghan government is much better informed, much more intrusive and ambitious than I had guessed. There are amazing craftsmen in Kabul but few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/the-afghan-government-is-much-better-informed-much-more-intrusive-and/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [I have planted over 6,000 trees at home in Scotland, some of them oak. I'd like my children to be able to watch them grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-have-planted-over-6-000-trees-at-home-in-scotland-some-of-them-oak/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [“Man's life is brief and transitory, Literature endures forever”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/man-s-life-is-brief-and-transitory-literature-endures-forever/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [If things are going wrong in a country, it's not usually that we don't have enough foreigners. It's usually that we have too many.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/if-things-are-going-wrong-in-a-country-it-s-not-usually-that-we-don-t/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [For politicians to be honest, the public needs to allow them to be honest, and the media, which mediates between the politicians and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/for-politicians-to-be-honest-the-public-needs-to-allow-them-to-be/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [“My feet beat out a steady muffled rhythm. My thoughts participated in each step, never getting ahead of me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/my-feet-beat-out-a-steady-muffled-rhythm-my-thoughts-participated-in/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [I left things out - my motivations, my history, my emotional responses - because I am not good at understanding them or writing about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-left-things-out-my-motivations-my-history-my-emotional-responses/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [I like connecting to places by foot, and I'm interested in experiencing how somewhere like Crieff connects to somewhere like London.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-like-connecting-to-places-by-foot-and-i-m-interested-in/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [Religions . . . seem to avoid mountain passes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/religions-seem-to-avoid-mountain-passes/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [Democracy is not simply a question of structures. It is a state of mind. It is an activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/democracy-is-not-simply-a-question-of-structures-it-is-a-state-of/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) [Explore all 62 Rory Stewart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) Browse all 26,122 About quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I did stuff for three years in Kabul that I found exciting, and a lot of that was fixing roofs, talking about sewage installation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rory Stewart" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-did-stuff-for-three-years-in-kabul-that-i-found-exciting-and-a-lot/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-did-stuff-for-three-years-in-kabul-that-i-found-exciting-and-a-lot/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/rory-stewart-11028_about_i-did-stuff-for-three-years-in-kabul-tha_2587773.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/rory-stewart-11028_about_i-did-stuff-for-three-years-in-kabul-tha_2587773.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/rory-stewart-11028_about_i-did-stuff-for-three-years-in-kabul-tha_2587773.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I did stuff for three years in Kabul that I found exciting, and a lot of that was fixing roofs, talking…” — Rory Stewart", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rory Stewart", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I did stuff for three years...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-did-stuff-for-three-years-in-kabul-that-i-found-exciting-and-a-lot/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-did-stuff-for-three-years-in-kabul-that-i-found-exciting-and-a-lot/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```