--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Indira was surrounded by people who had…" description: "\"“Indira was surrounded by people who had given up hope, who blamed their own misery on the influence of Christianity and western cultures, and yet, lit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/tucker-elliot-3557_beauty_indira-was-surrounded-by-people-who-had_2097638.jpg" --- # Indira was surrounded by people who had given up hope, who… ![“Indira was surrounded by people who had given up hope, who blamed their own misery on the influence of Christianity and western cultures, and yet, literally in the midst of squalor, her family had created a place of real beauty. It really makes you stop and think. Uncle Google should be spitting…” quote by Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/tucker-elliot-3557_beauty_indira-was-surrounded-by-people-who-had_2097638.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/tucker-elliot-3557_beauty_indira-was-surrounded-by-people-who-had_2097638.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/tucker-elliot-3557_beauty_indira-was-surrounded-by-people-who-had_2097638.jpg) > ““Indira was surrounded by people who had given up hope, who blamed their own misery on the influence of Christianity and western cultures, and yet, literally in the midst of squalor, her family had created a place of real beauty. It really makes you stop and think. Uncle Google should be spitting out eight hundred million things American schools have done right. The fact things are so screwed up makes no sense. If you believe Uncle Google, then we’ve done the exact opposite from Indira’s family—in the land of hope and plenty we’ve created a place that’s ugly. We have so much. Can things really be so bad? Maybe we can’t fix our schools because as individuals we’ve never truly been broken. Or maybe Chinese lanterns make everyone wax philosophical.”” [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even in poverty, beauty can arise; societies often blame external forces for their failures, overlooking internal agency. **In simple terms:** Beauty can exist despite hardship; blame is misplaced. Key Takeaway Focus on internal change. Themes hope beauty blame education Mood thoughtful critical Type opinion analytical When to use this quote - school reform - community projects - personal empowerment Key Concepts social critique cultural analysis self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - What can individuals do to improve schools? - How does culture shape our perception of failure? A Different Perspective The view may oversimplify complex systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Real beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-beauty/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/) [Uncle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncle/) ## Related quotes > [“We obviously don’t live in a perfect world. If we did, then my dad would never have volunteered for Vietnam so he could use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/we-obviously-don-t-live-in-a-perfect-world-if-we-did-then-my-dad/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“We can’t tarry. Let’s gather food and light out.” “Without seein’ Ma?” “There isn’t time.” “I’m not leavin’ until I see my ma. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-anderson/we-can-t-tarry-let-s-gather-food-and-light-out-without-seein-ma-there/) [Catherine Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-anderson/) > [No one thinks that I honestly have a hunger for this because of how I came up. So a lot of people hate instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diggy-simmons/no-one-thinks-that-i-honestly-have-a-hunger-for-this-because-of-how-i/) [Diggy Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diggy-simmons/) > [Obviously I've been reading Kafka for a long long time, since I was really young, and even before I ever read him I knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/obviously-i-ve-been-reading-kafka-for-a-long-long-time-since-i-was/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [I think my uncle was probably the biggest influence in my life. We grew up in the same house, and he was just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-bell/i-think-my-uncle-was-probably-the-biggest-influence-in-my-life-we/) [Catherine Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-bell/) > [I don't think I'm going to be back on 'This Is Us.' I think that Uncle Ricky had his moment; he did what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tyree-henry/i-don-t-think-i-m-going-to-be-back-on-this-is-us-i-think-that-uncle/) [Brian Tyree Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tyree-henry/) > [“perhaps real beauty was something unrecognized by the conscious self, a work that was always in progress, a thing of being rather than seeing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/perhaps-real-beauty-was-something-unrecognized-by-the-conscious-self/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Truth is Bitter & It's the Real Beauty in Ugliness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gollapalli-nithin-kumar/truth-is-bitter-it-s-the-real-beauty-in-ugliness/) Gollapalli Nithin Kumar > [“Dying is beautiful- even the first time around, at the ripe old age of 20. It’s not easy most of the time, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norma-klein/dying-is-beautiful-even-the-first-time-around-at-the-ripe-old-age-of/) Norma Klein > [We turn outward, attracted by the beauty we see in created things without realizing that they are only a reflection of the real beauty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernesto-cardenal/we-turn-outward-attracted-by-the-beauty-we-see-in-created-things/) [Ernesto Cardenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernesto-cardenal/) > [“The song you write may be beautiful, the research you conceive may be beautiful, but you are the real beauty in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-maisel/the-song-you-write-may-be-beautiful-the-research-you-conceive-may-be/) [Eric Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-maisel/) > [The real beauty - inside, it comes from the heart, where love lives. If not, even the most common facial features can not hide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/the-real-beauty-inside-it-comes-from-the-heart-where-love-lives-if/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [The real beauty created by man never competes with the beauty of nature; but it only perfectly completes it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/the-real-beauty-created-by-man-never-competes-with-the-beauty-of/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Yes, I’ve seen that ad. She’s a real beauty.” “Her name is Kelli Ivarsson, and she is even more impressive in person, I assure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nolan/yes-i-ve-seen-that-ad-she-s-a-real-beauty-her-name-is-kelli-ivarsson/) [Mark Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nolan/) > [I believe it is only when one comes out of adversity, that one starts to see real beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananya-birla/i-believe-it-is-only-when-one-comes-out-of-adversity-that-one-starts/) [Ananya Birla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananya-birla/) ## More by Tucker Elliot > [“It took only three years for Jonathan Papelbon to surpass Bill Campbell, Lee Smith, Tom Gordon, Sparky Lyle, Derek Lowe, Jeff Reardon, Ellis Kinder,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/it-took-only-three-years-for-jonathan-papelbon-to-surpass-bill/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“I stood with my mom in the cemetery. She felt terrible pain. My grandmother is with God. My mom has to continue living. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/i-stood-with-my-mom-in-the-cemetery-she-felt-terrible-pain-my/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“A son for a flag is a lot of sacrifice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/a-son-for-a-flag-is-a-lot-of-sacrifice/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“In Korea I’d been so afraid that Sami would lose her dad. She did, but she didn’t get a flag. He went to Doha,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/in-korea-i-d-been-so-afraid-that-sami-would-lose-her-dad-she-did-but/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“Sparky Anderson wasn’t just my favorite manager … he was my mom’s favorite manager.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/sparky-anderson-wasn-t-just-my-favorite-manager-he-was-my-mom-s/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“Most of us would give anything for the chance to play just one day of MLB baseball—especially for our favorite team. Well, there once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/most-of-us-would-give-anything-for-the-chance-to-play-just-one-day-of/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“The sun appeared between the twin spires of the cathedral as its light reflected off the crescent and star that rose out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/the-sun-appeared-between-the-twin-spires-of-the-cathedral-as-its/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [ “He \[Ted Williams\] was only a 23-year-old kid when he batted .406 in 1941, but then the season ended and our country came under… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/he-ted-williams-was-only-a-23-year-old-kid-when-he-batted-406-in-1941/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“It was like the baseball gods were showing off just for him, in honor of his first day of big league baseball. And surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/it-was-like-the-baseball-gods-were-showing-off-just-for-him-in-honor/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“The look of a smug teacher is priceless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/the-look-of-a-smug-teacher-is-priceless/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“I have this thought, it’s horrible, and it makes me sick, but it’s true: one day these students will grow up and have their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/i-have-this-thought-it-s-horrible-and-it-makes-me-sick-but-it-s-true/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“There are many ways to measure a manager’s success and contributions to a franchise ... but in this case the two numbers that illustrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/there-are-many-ways-to-measure-a-manager-s-success-and-contributions/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“... there’s almost nothing worse than spending an entire day anticipating watching a Yankees vs. Red Sox game, only to have the score be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/there-s-almost-nothing-worse-than-spending-an-entire-day-anticipating/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“The only thing I knew for sure is I hadn’t slept in ten years. Not really. I’d been fighting my own monster since nine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/the-only-thing-i-knew-for-sure-is-i-hadn-t-slept-in-ten-years-not/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [“This is who I was, before I was dead. When I cared, when I was relentless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/this-is-who-i-was-before-i-was-dead-when-i-cared-when-i-was-relentless/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) [Explore all 127 Tucker Elliot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) ## More Beauty quotes > [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/) [Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) Tumblr > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/) [Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/) [Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Indira was surrounded by people who had given up hope, who blamed their own misery on the influence of Christianity and western cultures, and yet, literally in the midst of squalor, her family had created a place of real beauty. It really makes you stop and think. Uncle Google should be spitting out eight hundred million things American schools have done right. The fact things are so screwed up makes no sense. If you believe Uncle Google, then we’ve done the exact opposite from Indira’s family—in the land of hope and plenty we’ve created a place that’s ugly. We have so much. Can things really be so bad? Maybe we can’t fix our schools because as individuals we’ve never truly been broken. Or maybe Chinese lanterns make everyone wax philosophical.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tucker Elliot" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/indira-was-surrounded-by-people-who-had-given-up-hope-who-blamed/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beauty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/indira-was-surrounded-by-people-who-had-given-up-hope-who-blamed/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/tucker-elliot-3557_beauty_indira-was-surrounded-by-people-who-had_2097638.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/tucker-elliot-3557_beauty_indira-was-surrounded-by-people-who-had_2097638.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/tucker-elliot-3557_beauty_indira-was-surrounded-by-people-who-had_2097638.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Indira was surrounded by people who had given up hope, who blamed their own misery on the influence of…” — Tucker Elliot", "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": "Tucker Elliot", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Indira was surrounded by people who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/indira-was-surrounded-by-people-who-had-given-up-hope-who-blamed/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/indira-was-surrounded-by-people-who-had-given-up-hope-who-blamed/#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 } } ] } ```