To me, there is nothing higher than fiction. Nothing. It is fundamentally who I am. I am a teller of stories. For me, that's the only way I can make sense of the world, with all the dance that it involves.
Arundhati RoyRead
The mullahs of the Islamic world and the mullahs of the Hindu world and the mullahs of the Christian world are all on the same side. And we are against them all.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests a unified opposition to religious authorities across different faiths, emphasizing the need for collective action against these figures.
Arundhati Roy's quote reflects the idea that religious leaders from various faiths, including Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity, often uphold similar oppressive ideologies and power structures. By stating 'we are against them all,' Roy calls for a collective resistance from those who may oppose the authoritarian influence of these mullahs, advocating for a broader discourse on freedom and liberation beyond specific religious or cultural boundaries.
Themes
ReligionAuthorityOppositionFreedomUnity
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on social justice, one could cite this quote to highlight the need for solidarity against oppressive systems.
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Caste is about dividing people up in ways that preclude every form of solidarity, because even in the lowest castes, there are divisions and sub-castes, and everyone's co-opted into the business of this hierarchical, silo-ised society.
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When I decided to write 'The God of Small Things', I had been working in cinema. It was almost a decision to downshift from there. I thought that 300 people would read it. But it created a platform of trust.
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In California, there are huge problems because of dams. I'm against big dams, per se, because I think that they are economically unfeasible. They're ecologically unsustainable. And they're hugely undemocratic.
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To call someone 'anti-American', indeed, to be anti-American, is not just racist, it's a failure of the imagination.
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