---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seems that the whole world is…"
description: "\"It seems that the whole world is beginning to decay, and that its putrefaction has chosen to spread outward from here, from the land of the Pashtuns, w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/yasmina-khadra-8341_chosen_it-seems-that-the-whole-world-is-beginni_14434.png"
---

#  It seems that the whole world is beginning to decay, and…

![“It seems that the whole world is beginning to decay, and that its putrefaction has chosen to spread outward from here, from the land of the Pashtuns, where desertification proceeds at a steady, implacable crawl even in the consciences and intellects of men.” quote by Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/yasmina-khadra-8341_chosen_it-seems-that-the-whole-world-is-beginni_14434.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/yasmina-khadra-8341_chosen_it-seems-that-the-whole-world-is-beginni_14434.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/yasmina-khadra-8341_chosen_it-seems-that-the-whole-world-is-beginni_14434.png)

> “It seems that the whole world is beginning to decay, and that its putrefaction has chosen to spread outward from here, from the land of the Pashtuns, where desertification proceeds at a steady, implacable crawl even in the consciences and intellects of men.”

[Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote portrays a global moral and environmental decline, using the Pashtun region as a symbolic source of spreading decay, suggesting that even human consciousness is affected.

**In simple terms:** Global decay symbolized by the Pashtuns.

Key Takeaway

Decay spreads from a specific region, affecting all.

Themes

decay environment consciousness regional symbolism global decline

Mood

somber reflective critical

Type

philosophical political literary

When to use this quote

- political analysis
- literary criticism
- environmental policy discussions
- cultural studies

Key Concepts

environmental degradation moral erosion cultural perception

Practical Applications

- essay writing
- policy brief development

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the Pashtun region symbolize in this context?
- How does the metaphor of decay relate to contemporary global issues?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Intellect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellect/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Pashtuns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pashtuns/) [Whole world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Whenever a people or an institution forget its hard beginnings, it is beginning to decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/whenever-a-people-or-an-institution-forget-its-hard-beginnings-it-is/)

[Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/)

> [Erosion, desertification, and pollution have become our lot. It is a weird form of suicide, for we are bleeding our planet to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-durrell/erosion-desertification-and-pollution-have-become-our-lot-it-is-a/)

[Gerald Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-durrell/)

> [It is said that the American vocabulary has declined by half in the past few decades. It's a tragic instance of desertification following upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-mills/it-is-said-that-the-american-vocabulary-has-declined-by-half-in-the/)

[Stephanie Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-mills/)

> [“If not prevented, desertification of the world can one day make the camels as the best and the sole cars of our civilisation!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-not-prevented-desertification-of-the-world-can-one-day-make-the/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [The Pashtuns in particular are kind of trapped. They've never accepted the Durand Line nor has any Afghan government historically accepted it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-pashtuns-in-particular-are-kind-of-trapped-they-ve-never-accepted/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Never mind that to me, the face of Afghanistan is that of a boy with a thin-boned frame, a shaved head, and low-set ears,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/never-mind-that-to-me-the-face-of-afghanistan-is-that-of-a-boy-with-a/)

[Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/)

> [“We Pashtuns are split between Pakistan and Afghanistan and don’t really recognize the border that the British drew more than 100 years ago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/we-pashtuns-are-split-between-pakistan-and-afghanistan-and-don-t/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [The Pashtun tribes are always engaged in private or public war. Every man is a warrior, a politician and a theologian Every large house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-pashtun-tribes-are-always-engaged-in-private-or-public-war-every/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [I am involved in the land of a leonine and brave people, where every foot of the ground is like a well of steel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/i-am-involved-in-the-land-of-a-leonine-and-brave-people-where-every/)

[Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/)

> [What everyone underestimated was the acute unpopularity of the Taliban, even in the Pashtun areas. People like myself were saying the Taliban would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/what-everyone-underestimated-was-the-acute-unpopularity-of-the/)

[Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/)

> [We should remember that the Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. Of course, many of them did support the Taliban. But you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/we-should-remember-that-the-pashtuns-are-the-largest-ethnic-group-in/)

[Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/)

> [The Pashtuns feel discriminated against by the Americans because they supported the Taliban and the war is still going on in their region with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/the-pashtuns-feel-discriminated-against-by-the-americans-because-they/)

[Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/)

> [In countries other than Pakistan - I won't necessarily call them 'Western' - people support me. This is because people there respect others. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/in-countries-other-than-pakistan-i-won-t-necessarily-call-them/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [Pashtun nationalism is reasserting itself. Its political history spans several hundred years. The Pashtuns are angry at the Americans because, one, they're still being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-rashid/pashtun-nationalism-is-reasserting-itself-its-political-history-spans/)

[Ahmed Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-rashid/)

> [“In Our Villages - You killed thousands by thousands, after each thousand, You are killing another one thousand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abed-rahmani/in-our-villages-you-killed-thousands-by-thousands-after-each-thousand/)

[Abed Rahmani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abed-rahmani/)

## More by Yasmina Khadra

> [I was depressed. I knew I was lost, but I had no idea how to find myself again. It was as though I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/i-was-depressed-i-knew-i-was-lost-but-i-had-no-idea-how-to-find/)

[Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/)

> [“He took a fine fresh fig from his pocket and washed it meticulously in a glass of water; then he peeled it open before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/he-took-a-fine-fresh-fig-from-his-pocket-and-washed-it-meticulously/)

[Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/)

> [Get a grip on yourself. there's only one god here on earth, and that's you. If you don't like the world, make one you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/get-a-grip-on-yourself-there-s-only-one-god-here-on-earth-and-that-s/)

[Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/)

> [Culture is always about politics in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/culture-is-always-about-politics-in-the-end/)

[Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/)

> [Of course, I'm aware of the animosities destroying brain cells on both sides, and I know all about the obstinacy of the warring parties,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/of-course-i-m-aware-of-the-animosities-destroying-brain-cells-on-both/)

[Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/)

> [“In the eyes of Popes and Imams we are Us and Them, but in the eyes of the Lord we are one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/in-the-eyes-of-popes-and-imams-we-are-us-and-them-but-in-the-eyes-of/)

[Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/)

> [“This land does not belong to you. It belongs to that ancient shepherd whose ghost is standing next to you, though you refuse to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/this-land-does-not-belong-to-you-it-belongs-to-that-ancient-shepherd/)

[Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/)

> [You can know all there is to know about life and mankind, but what do you really know about yourself?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/you-can-know-all-there-is-to-know-about-life-and-mankind-but-what-do/)

[Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/)

> [“The can take everything you own- your property, your best years, all your joys, all your good works, everything down to your last shirt-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/the-can-take-everything-you-own-your-property-your-best-years-all/)

[Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/)

> [“An isolated person is doomed beyond remedy." Yasmina Khadra, Swallows of Kabul”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/an-isolated-person-is-doomed-beyond-remedy-yasmina-khadra-swallows-of/)

[Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/)

> [“Anyone who tells you that a greater symphony exists than the breath in your body is lying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/anyone-who-tells-you-that-a-greater-symphony-exists-than-the-breath/)

[Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/)

> [“Quand on ne trouve pas la solution à son malheur, on lui cherche un coupable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/quand-on-ne-trouve-pas-la-solution-son-malheur-on-lui-cherche-un/)

[Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/)

> [“El mundo es de quienes van a buscarlo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/el-mundo-es-de-quienes-van-a-buscarlo/)

[Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/)

> [“I hate wars and revoloutions and these dramas of redemptive violence that turn upon themselves like endlessly long screws and haul entire generations through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/i-hate-wars-and-revoloutions-and-these-dramas-of-redemptive-violence/)

[Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/)

> [“A man's life is worth much more than any sacrifice, no matter how great. For the greatest, the most just, the noblest cause on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/a-man-s-life-is-worth-much-more-than-any-sacrifice-no-matter-how/)

[Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/)

[Explore all 49 Yasmina Khadra quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/)

## More Chosen quotes

> [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/)

[Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/)

> [My Chosen Daughter, No one can define you without your permission. I want you to be so secure in who you are in Me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/god/my-chosen-daughter-no-one-can-define-you-without-your-permission-i/)

God

> [I would have let you shoot me without further ado! But it is not possible to hang the German Reichsmarschall! I cannot permit this.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-goring/i-would-have-let-you-shoot-me-without-further-ado-but-it-is-not/)

[Hermann Goring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-goring/)

> [People have a whole lot more choices than they've had in the past, and I have only earned the right to be considered -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/people-have-a-whole-lot-more-choices-than-they-ve-had-in-the-past-and/)

[Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/)

> [You basically have a group of four spies who are chosen for a mission they feel for the fact of how competent they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-leblanc/you-basically-have-a-group-of-four-spies-who-are-chosen-for-a-mission/)

[Matt LeBlanc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-leblanc/)

> [ \[In science any model depends on a pre-chosen taxonomy\] a set of classifications into which we divide the enormous complexity of the real world...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/in-science-any-model-depends-on-a-pre-chosen-taxonomy-a-set-of/)

[Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/)

> [At a time when painting itself often seems to be a threatened, even despised, form of artistic activity, Andrew Salgado emerges as a dazzlingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucie-smith/at-a-time-when-painting-itself-often-seems-to-be-a-threatened-even/)

Edward Lucie-Smith

> [Love your country. Your country is the land where your parents sleep, where is spoken that language in which the chosen of your heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-mazzini/love-your-country-your-country-is-the-land-where-your-parents-sleep/)

[Giuseppe Mazzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-mazzini/)

> [You'd chosen to be an upright biped on the surface of a small planet of a minor sun on the edge of a minor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/you-d-chosen-to-be-an-upright-biped-on-the-surface-of-a-small-planet/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man's treasure, the bad man's refuge. Honors can be bought with fine words, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-tao-is-the-center-of-the-universe-the-good-man-s-treasure-the-bad/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [The Republicans have chosen to neglect young Americans who need assistance with the costs of higher education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-conyers/the-republicans-have-chosen-to-neglect-young-americans-who-need/)

[John Conyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-conyers/)

> [When adults come together to form an intimate relationship, each person releases into it unresolved issues from their trans-generational pool of unconscious fantasies. Partners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-raphael-leff/when-adults-come-together-to-form-an-intimate-relationship-each/)

[Joan Raphael-Leff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-raphael-leff/)

> [Here's my advice to you: don't marry until you can tell yourself that you've done all you could, and until you've stopped loving the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/here-s-my-advice-to-you-don-t-marry-until-you-can-tell-yourself-that/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [I am responsible. Yes, I have chosen to be single.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadya-suleman/i-am-responsible-yes-i-have-chosen-to-be-single/)

[Nadya Suleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadya-suleman/)

> [I must be the mate of the man I had chosen; and if he would not come to my level, I must go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-swisshelm/i-must-be-the-mate-of-the-man-i-had-chosen-and-if-he-would-not-come/)

[Jane Swisshelm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-swisshelm/)

Browse all 1,955 Chosen quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It seems that the whole world is beginning to decay, and that its putrefaction has chosen to spread outward from here, from the land of the Pashtuns, where desertification proceeds at a steady, implacable crawl even in the consciences and intellects of men.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Yasmina Khadra"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/it-seems-that-the-whole-world-is-beginning-to-decay-and-that-its/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Chosen"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/it-seems-that-the-whole-world-is-beginning-to-decay-and-that-its/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/yasmina-khadra-8341_chosen_it-seems-that-the-whole-world-is-beginni_14434.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/yasmina-khadra-8341_chosen_it-seems-that-the-whole-world-is-beginni_14434.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1f/yasmina-khadra-8341_chosen_it-seems-that-the-whole-world-is-beginni_14434.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It seems that the whole world is beginning to decay, and that its putrefaction has chosen to spread outward…” — Yasmina Khadra",
                "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": "Yasmina Khadra",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It seems that the whole world...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/it-seems-that-the-whole-world-is-beginning-to-decay-and-that-its/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/it-seems-that-the-whole-world-is-beginning-to-decay-and-that-its/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
