---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For when one thinks of Guiana one thinks…"
description: "\"“For when one thinks of Guiana one thinks of a country whose inadequate resources are strained in every way, a country whose geography imposes on it an..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/v-s-naipaul-2-16418_quote_for-when-one-thinks-of-guiana-one-thinks_909920.jpg"
---

#  For when one thinks of Guiana one thinks of a country…

![“For when one thinks of Guiana one thinks of a country whose inadequate resources are strained in every way, a country whose geography imposes on it an administration and a programme of public works out of all proportion to its revenue and population. One thinks of the sea-wall, forever being…” quote by V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/v-s-naipaul-2-16418_quote_for-when-one-thinks-of-guiana-one-thinks_909920.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/v-s-naipaul-2-16418_quote_for-when-one-thinks-of-guiana-one-thinks_909920.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/v-s-naipaul-2-16418_quote_for-when-one-thinks-of-guiana-one-thinks_909920.jpg)

> ““For when one thinks of Guiana one thinks of a country whose inadequate resources are strained in every way, a country whose geography imposes on it an administration and a programme of public works out of all proportion to its revenue and population. One thinks of the sea-wall, forever being breached and repaired; the dikes made of mud for want of money; the dirt roads and their occasional experimental surfacing; the roads that are necessary but not yet made; the decadent railways ('Three-fourths of the passenger rolling stock,' says a matter-of-fact little note in the government paper on the Development Programme, 'is old and nearing the point beyond which further repairs will be impossible'); the three overworked Dakotas and two Grumman seaplanes of British Guiana Airways. And one thinks of the streets of Albouystown, as crowded with children as a schoolyard during recess.””

[V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The description highlights Guiana’s chronic under‑investment, inadequate infrastructure, and the daily struggles of its people amid persistent neglect.

**In simple terms:** Guiana suffers from chronic neglect and failing infrastructure.

Key Takeaway

Recognize systemic neglect.

Themes

poverty infrastructure colonial legacy

Mood

critical somber

Type

analytical documentary

When to use this quote

- urban planning
- NGO work
- government reform
- academic research

Key Concepts

development public policy social inequity

Questions to Reflect On

- What sustainable solutions could improve basic services?
- How does historical context shape present challenges?

A Different Perspective

Addressing deep‑rooted issues requires massive resources and political will.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Country Inadequate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country-inadequate-1322191/) [Dirt Road](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dirt-road/) [Dirt roads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dirt-roads/) [Guiana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guiana-729878/) [Guiana Thinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guiana-thinks-1322190/) [Thinks Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinks-country-1322192/) [Thinks Guiana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinks-guiana-1322189/)

## Related quotes

> [Someone who thinks well of himself is said to have a healthy self-concept and is envied. Someone who thinks well of his country is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfie-kohn/someone-who-thinks-well-of-himself-is-said-to-have-a-healthy-self/)

[Alfie Kohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfie-kohn/)

> [Barack Obama thinks this country is a crime. Obama thinks this country is a walking, living crime, the way it's treated poor people, minorities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/barack-obama-thinks-this-country-is-a-crime-obama-thinks-this-country/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [“The water off the northern coast of South America is typically choppy and is known to have relatively long wavelengths that are developed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-salty-saucy-maine/the-water-off-the-northern-coast-of-south-america-is-typically-choppy/)

[Captain Hank Bracker, "Salty &amp; Saucy Maine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-salty-saucy-maine/)

> [“They knew that Jamaica produced sugar, rum and bananas, that Nigeria produced cocoa, and that British Guiana had large natural resources; but these names,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-braithwaite/they-knew-that-jamaica-produced-sugar-rum-and-bananas-that-nigeria/)

[E.R. Braithwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-braithwaite/)

> [“There are only four non-Spanish speaking countries in all of South America. British Guiana is one of them. The other three are Dutch Guiana…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-only-four-non-spanish-speaking-countries-in-all-of-south/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The information superhighway is a dirt road that won't be paved over until 2025.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sumner-redstone/the-information-superhighway-is-a-dirt-road-that-won-t-be-paved-over/)

[Sumner Redstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sumner-redstone/)

> [“Remember the first time you ever came? Tell the truth. You were dreading it." His brown eyes laughed warmly. "What wasn't to dread? A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-delinsky/remember-the-first-time-you-ever-came-tell-the-truth-you-were/)

[Barbara Delinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-delinsky/)

> [Can you tell the guys I'm sorry.. Yes ma'am sure can, would you like a escort? Yes. He stuck out his arm for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/can-you-tell-the-guys-i-m-sorry-yes-ma-am-sure-can-would-you-like-a/)

[Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/)

> [I'm a dirt road out in the country kind of person, but I remember thinking, I could live in Chicago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-m-a-dirt-road-out-in-the-country-kind-of-person-but-i-remember/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [He is the playfulness of creation, scandal and utter goodness, the generosity of the ocean and the ferocity of a thunderstorm; he is cunning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/he-is-the-playfulness-of-creation-scandal-and-utter-goodness-the/)

[John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/)

> [For centuries, from the dirt roads of Trenton, to the hills of Virginia, to the trenches of Amiens, our armed forces never fought in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/for-centuries-from-the-dirt-roads-of-trenton-to-the-hills-of-virginia/)

[Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/)

> [I don't keep diaries anymore; They're quite incriminating. I just keep all the dirt road diaries in my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-don-t-keep-diaries-anymore-they-re-quite-incriminating-i-just-keep/)

[Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/)

> [“If you were on a bus trying to go east in a maze of dirt roads in a large valley, you might not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-c-hayes/if-you-were-on-a-bus-trying-to-go-east-in-a-maze-of-dirt-roads-in-a/)

[Steven C. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-c-hayes/)

> [I grew up in the south, poor - on rock, dirt roads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-turner/i-grew-up-in-the-south-poor-on-rock-dirt-roads/)

[Tina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-turner/)

> ['Dirt Road Diaries,' in my mind, is a perfect country guy song. It speaks to the hard-working guy, and I'm excited for the fans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/dirt-road-diaries-in-my-mind-is-a-perfect-country-guy-song-it-speaks/)

[Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/)

## More by V.S. Naipaul

> [“In his original design the solicitor's clerk seemed to have forgotten the need for a staircase to link both the floors, and what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/in-his-original-design-the-solicitor-s-clerk-seemed-to-have-forgotten/)

[V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/)

> [“What matters in the end in literature, what is always there, is the truly good. And -- though played out forms can throw up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/what-matters-in-the-end-in-literature-what-is-always-there-is-the/)

[V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/)

> [“Though no one recognized his strength, Anand was among the strong. His satirical sense kept him aloof. At first this was only a pose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/though-no-one-recognized-his-strength-anand-was-among-the-strong-his/)

[V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/)

> [“It was as Nazruddin had said, when I asked him about visas and he had said that bank notes were better. 'You can always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/it-was-as-nazruddin-had-said-when-i-asked-him-about-visas-and-he-had/)

[V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/)

> [“attributed the decay of Hindu society in Trinidad to the rise of the timorous, weak, non-beating class of husband.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/attributed-the-decay-of-hindu-society-in-trinidad-to-the-rise-of-the/)

[V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/)

> [“It was not long after that Ganesh saw a big new notice in the shop, painted on cardboard. ‘Is Leela self who write that,’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/it-was-not-long-after-that-ganesh-saw-a-big-new-notice-in-the-shop/)

[V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/)

> [“I knew there was something that separated me from Ferdinand and the life of the bush about me. And it was because I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/i-knew-there-was-something-that-separated-me-from-ferdinand-and-the/)

[V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/)

> [“In my late thirties the dream of disappointment and exhaustion had been the dream of the exploding head: the dream of a noise in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/in-my-late-thirties-the-dream-of-disappointment-and-exhaustion-had/)

[V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/)

> [“On the front cover of Newsweek reviews "A House for Mr. Biswas" as "a marvelous prose epic that matches the best 19th century novels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/on-the-front-cover-of-newsweek-reviews-a-house-for-mr-biswas-as-a/)

[V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/)

> [“Ah, sahib. I know you just come to comfort a old man left to live by hisself. Soomintra say I too old-fashion. And Leela,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/ah-sahib-i-know-you-just-come-to-comfort-a-old-man-left-to-live-by/)

[V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/)

> [“Misir’s first story was about a man who had been out of work for months and was starving. His five children were starving; his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/misir-s-first-story-was-about-a-man-who-had-been-out-of-work-for/)

[V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/)

> [“I had seen how deep in nearly every West Indian, high and low, were the prejudices of race; how often these prejudices were rooted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/i-had-seen-how-deep-in-nearly-every-west-indian-high-and-low-were-the/)

[V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/)

> [“It was in that garage that Alec worked, no longer wearing red bodices or peeing blue, but doing mysterious greasy things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/it-was-in-that-garage-that-alec-worked-no-longer-wearing-red-bodices/)

[V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/)

> [“What Raja Ram Mohun Roy began as a reform movment early in the 19th century Devendranath Tagore made into a religion. It transformed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/what-raja-ram-mohun-roy-began-as-a-reform-movment-early-in-the-19th/)

[V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/)

> [“If you get too attached to your roots in the old sense, you might actually become unrooted, fossilized. At least in form, at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/if-you-get-too-attached-to-your-roots-in-the-old-sense-you-might/)

[V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/)

[Explore all 40 V.S. Naipaul quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/)

## More Dirt roads quotes

> ['Dirt Road Diaries,' in my mind, is a perfect country guy song. It speaks to the hard-working guy, and I'm excited for the fans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/dirt-road-diaries-in-my-mind-is-a-perfect-country-guy-song-it-speaks/)

[Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/)

> [I grew up in the south, poor - on rock, dirt roads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-turner/i-grew-up-in-the-south-poor-on-rock-dirt-roads/)

[Tina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-turner/)

> [“If you were on a bus trying to go east in a maze of dirt roads in a large valley, you might not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-c-hayes/if-you-were-on-a-bus-trying-to-go-east-in-a-maze-of-dirt-roads-in-a/)

[Steven C. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-c-hayes/)

> [I don't keep diaries anymore; They're quite incriminating. I just keep all the dirt road diaries in my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-don-t-keep-diaries-anymore-they-re-quite-incriminating-i-just-keep/)

[Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/)

> [For centuries, from the dirt roads of Trenton, to the hills of Virginia, to the trenches of Amiens, our armed forces never fought in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/for-centuries-from-the-dirt-roads-of-trenton-to-the-hills-of-virginia/)

[Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/)

> [He is the playfulness of creation, scandal and utter goodness, the generosity of the ocean and the ferocity of a thunderstorm; he is cunning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/he-is-the-playfulness-of-creation-scandal-and-utter-goodness-the/)

[John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/)

> [I'm a dirt road out in the country kind of person, but I remember thinking, I could live in Chicago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-m-a-dirt-road-out-in-the-country-kind-of-person-but-i-remember/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [Can you tell the guys I'm sorry.. Yes ma'am sure can, would you like a escort? Yes. He stuck out his arm for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/can-you-tell-the-guys-i-m-sorry-yes-ma-am-sure-can-would-you-like-a/)

[Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/)

> [“Remember the first time you ever came? Tell the truth. You were dreading it." His brown eyes laughed warmly. "What wasn't to dread? A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-delinsky/remember-the-first-time-you-ever-came-tell-the-truth-you-were/)

[Barbara Delinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-delinsky/)

> [The information superhighway is a dirt road that won't be paved over until 2025.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sumner-redstone/the-information-superhighway-is-a-dirt-road-that-won-t-be-paved-over/)

[Sumner Redstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sumner-redstone/)

> [A lot of us who grew up in the country, hunting and fishing, being very familiar with the woods and dirt roads, have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-lot-of-us-who-grew-up-in-the-country-hunting-and-fishing-being-very/)

[Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/)

> [I was born in 1940 in Minnesota and grew up in the country... dirt roads, swamps, lakes, woods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-gilliam/i-was-born-in-1940-in-minnesota-and-grew-up-in-the-country-dirt-roads/)

[Terry Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-gilliam/)

> [I lived a few miles outside of a tiny town in central Oklahoma. I would often run amok though the fields of wheat, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/i-lived-a-few-miles-outside-of-a-tiny-town-in-central-oklahoma-i/)

[Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/)

> [I'm tired of talkin' man y'all ain't listenin' Them ol' dirt roads, is what y'all missin'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-aldean/i-m-tired-of-talkin-man-y-all-ain-t-listenin-them-ol-dirt-roads-is/)

[Jason Aldean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-aldean/)

> [“Not an hour after Olivia was found, Portia and her mother were in the family's ancient pickup truck, bumping along the dirt roads of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-francis-lee/not-an-hour-after-olivia-was-found-portia-and-her-mother-were-in-the/)

[Linda Francis Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-francis-lee/)

[Browse all 40 Dirt roads quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dirt-roads/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“For when one thinks of Guiana one thinks of a country whose inadequate resources are strained in every way, a country whose geography imposes on it an administration and a programme of public works out of all proportion to its revenue and population. One thinks of the sea-wall, forever being breached and repaired; the dikes made of mud for want of money; the dirt roads and their occasional experimental surfacing; the roads that are necessary but not yet made; the decadent railways ('Three-fourths of the passenger rolling stock,' says a matter-of-fact little note in the government paper on the Development Programme, 'is old and nearing the point beyond which further repairs will be impossible'); the three overworked Dakotas and two Grumman seaplanes of British Guiana Airways. And one thinks of the streets of Albouystown, as crowded with children as a schoolyard during recess.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "V.S. Naipaul"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/for-when-one-thinks-of-guiana-one-thinks-of-a-country-whose/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dirt roads"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/for-when-one-thinks-of-guiana-one-thinks-of-a-country-whose/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/v-s-naipaul-2-16418_quote_for-when-one-thinks-of-guiana-one-thinks_909920.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/v-s-naipaul-2-16418_quote_for-when-one-thinks-of-guiana-one-thinks_909920.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/v-s-naipaul-2-16418_quote_for-when-one-thinks-of-guiana-one-thinks_909920.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For when one thinks of Guiana one thinks of a country whose inadequate resources are strained in every way…” — V.S. Naipaul",
                "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": "V.S. Naipaul",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“For when one thinks of Guiana...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/for-when-one-thinks-of-guiana-one-thinks-of-a-country-whose/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/for-when-one-thinks-of-guiana-one-thinks-of-a-country-whose/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
