84 American Exceptionalism Quotes
Following is our list of american exceptionalism quotations and slogans full of insightful wisdom and perspective about american equality.
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Famous American Exceptionalism Quotes
I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism. — Barack Obama
America is not just a power, it is a promise. It is not enough for our country to be extraordinary in might; it must be exemplary in meaning. — Nelson Rockefeller
Americans are overreaching; overreaching is the most admirable and most American of the many American excesses. — George Will
Americanism means the virtues of courage, honor, justice, truth, sincerity, and hardihood - the virtues that made America. — Theodore Roosevelt
For other nations, utopia is a blessed past never to be recovered; for Americans it is just beyond the horizon. — Henry Kissinger
America - it is a fabulous country, the only fabulous country; it is the only place where miracles not only happen, but where they happen all the time. — Thomas Wolfe
Americanism is a question of principle, of idealism, of character. It is not a matter of birthplace, or creed, or line of descent. — Theodore Roosevelt
It seems that American patriotism measures itself against an outcast group. The right Americans are the right Americans because they're not like the wrong Americans, who are not really Americans. — E. J. Hobsbawm
It seems that American patriotism measures itself against an outcast group. The right Americans are the right Americans because they're not like the wrong Americans, who are not really Americans. — Eric Hobsbawm
Americans are far more remarkable than we give ourselves credit for. We've been so busy damning ourselves for years. We've done it all, and yet we don't take credit for it. — Ray Bradbury
America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of the Holy Scripture. — Woodrow Wilson
American style is about confidence, independence, diversity and free expression. — Tommy Hilfiger
America is the story of everyday people who did extraordinary things. A story woven deep into the fabric of our society. — Marco Rubio
America is the only country capable of producing national movies: its culture has become a global culture. — Jean-Jacques Annaud
American individualism, much celebrated and cherished, has developed without its essential corrective, which is belonging. — Wallace Stegner
What Is American Exceptionalism Quotes
Mess is fairly good. It is like what is found in American hotels except for cake and pie. — Knute Nelson
The human condition for the vast majority of people on this planet for the entire time of what humanity has been here has been bondage and tyranny, dictatorship, pestilence. That's really what American exceptionalism is, when you get right down to it. — Rush Limbaugh
You see, as Americans we're not defined by class, and we will never be told our place. What makes our nation exceptional is that anyone, from any background, can climb the highest of heights. — Rick Perry
American exceptionalism, in the broad sense, is not a bunch of braggadocious words people say, "Yeah, we're better people. We have a better country. We are higher class people." That's not what it is. America was the exception to the way human beings prior to America, most of which lived. — Rush Limbaugh
American Equality Quotes
Don't be in a hurry to condemn because he doesn't do what you do or think as you think or as fast. There was a time when you didn't know what you know today. — Malcolm X
Violence is black children going to school for 12 years and receiving 6 years' worth of education. — Julian Bond
True patriotism springs from a belief in the dignity of the individual, freedom and equality not only for Americans but for all people on earth, universal brotherhood and good will, and a constant and earnest striving toward the principles and ideals on which this country was founded. — Eleanor Roosevelt
I'll tell you how I'd like to be remembered: As a black man who won the heavyweight title - Who has humorous and who never looked down on those who looked up to him - A man who stood for freedom, justice and equality - And I wouldn't even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was. — Muhammad Ali
To be free . . . to walk the good American earth as equal citizens, to live without fear, to enjoy the fruits of our toil, to give our children every opportunity in life--that dream which we have held so long in our hearts is today the destiny that we hold in our hands. — Paul Robeson
Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.... The subjection of individuals will increase amongst democratic nations, not only in the same proportion as their equality, but in the same proportion as their ignorance. — Alexis de Tocqueville
Its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery . . . is his natural and normal condition. — Alexander H. Stephens
I think it is appropriate to ask whether this trend is compatible with values rooted in our nation's history, among them the high value Americans have traditionally placed on equality of opportunity. — Janet Yellen
On the road to equality there is no better place for blacks to detour around American values than in forgoing its example in the treatment of its women and the organization of its family. — Eleanor Holmes Norton
Every single American - gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, transgender - every single American deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of our society. It’s a pretty simple proposition. — Barack Obama
What It Means To Be An American Quotes
And this President wakes up every morning, looks out across America and is proud to announce, 'It could be worse.' It could be worse? Is that what it means to be an American? It could be worse? Of course not. What defines us as Americans is our unwavering conviction that we know it must be better. — Mitt Romney
And children, if your parents haven't been teaching you what it means to be an American, let 'em know and nail 'em on it. That would be a very American thing to do. — Ronald Reagan
I'm interested in what it means to be an American. I'm interested in what it means to live in America. I'm interested in the kind of country that we live in and leave our kids. I'm interested in trying to define what that country is. — Bruce Springsteen
Sitting at the table doesn't make you a diner, unless you eat some of what's on that plate. — Malcolm X
What we do know is that the planet is going from 7 billion people today to 9 billion. More people want to live like us, drive American- size cars, live in an American-size home, and eat American-size Big Macs. What does that mean? It means that energy demand is going to be going up. — Thomas Friedman
What does it mean to be an American? While each of us may have our own specific answer to that question, we likely can agree on the basic principles of America: freedom, equal opportunity, and rights accompanied by responsibilities. — Ben Nelson
Writers like Twain, Whitman, Dickinson, Melville, Louise Erdrich, Toni Morrison, Russell Banks, Carolyn Chute, Alice Walker, so many others that I read coming up as a writer, that helped form my ideas of what it means to be American - and an American writer. I'm always in conversation with them. — Micah Perks
All Americans deserve an equal crack at what it means to be a - having - having resources in your own home and in your state and in your country. — Michael Eric Dyson
Most of the Jewish writer friends I have are American, and I feel closer to them because they're always obsessed with one issue - identity: what does it mean to be an American Jew? — Etgar Keret
Each generation of Americans must define what it means to be an American. — William J. Clinton
People Writing About American Exceptionalism
| Name | Quotes | Likes |
|---|---|---|
 Theodore Roosevelt |
752 | 11364 |
 Barack Obama |
2872 | 19157 |
 Nelson Rockefeller |
21 | 177 |
 George Will |
242 | 1042 |
 Henry Kissinger |
24 | 214 |
 Thomas Wolfe |
59 | 975 |
More American Exceptionalism Quotes
Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting. — Franklin D. Roosevelt
When any tyrant hates America and denies its exceptional role in the struggle for freedom, he recognizes his own inevitable defeat. To Russian tyranny I say the world needs more, not less, American exceptionalism. — Volodymyr Zelenskyy
With few exceptions, democracy has not brought good government to new developing countries. What Asians value may not necessarily be what Americans or Europeans value. Westerners value the freedoms and liberties of the individual. As an Asian of Chinese cultural backround, my values are for a government which is honest, effective and efficient. — Lee Kuan Yew
I like to call the ethos I grew up with 'Oklahoma values.' But you'd be just as accurate if you said 'American values.' Except for our lack of a seacoast, Oklahoma has a little bit of just about everything that's American. — J. C. Watts
The British were indeed very far superior to the Americans in every respect necessary to military operations, except the revivified courage and resolution, the result of sudden success after despair. — Mercy Otis Warren
In civil and political affairs, American women take no interest or concern, except so far as they sympathize with their family and personal friends; but in all cases, in which they do feel a concern, their opinions and feelings have a consideration, equal or even superior, to that of the other sex. — Catharine Beecher
We must develop a federal program of public works, retraining, and jobs for all - so that none, white or black, will have cause to feel threatened . . . There is nothing except shortsightedness to prevent us from guaranteeing an annual minimum and livable income for every American family. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
I am an American; free born and free bred, where I acknowledge no man as my superior, except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit. — Theodore Roosevelt
Walking takes longer... than any other known form of locomotion except crawling. Thus it stretches time and prolongs life. Life is already too short to waste on speed. — Edward Abbey
American audiences are just the same as any other audiences. Except a bit more boring. — Sid Vicious
It seems to be a law in American life that whatever enriches us anywhere except in the wallet inevitably becomes uneconomic. — Russell Baker
American exceptionalism? Exceptional at what? Waging wars against innocent people for fake reasons? Exceptional at what? Being addicted to pharmaceutical drugs that have people's minds wasted? Exceptional at what? Eating more junk food and becoming the most obese nation on Earth? — Gerald Celente
Because of Obama ... dreamers who are American in every way except on paper, no longer live under the shadow of deportation. — Nydia Velazquez
I always thought the biggest failing of Americans was their lack of irony. They are very serious there! Naturally, there are exceptions... the Jewish, Italian, and Irish humor of the East Coast. — Colin Firth
I was in the De Witt Clinton Hight School marching band. One of the worst bands ever formed. When we played the national anthem, people from every country stood - except Americans. — Robert Klein
The process begins with the individual woman’s acceptance that American women, without exception, are socialized to be racist, classist and sexist, in varying degrees, and that labeling ourselves feminists does not change the fact that we must consciously work to rid ourselves of the legacy of negative socialization. — Bell Hooks
I'm not against knowing the history of white people in the U.S. - that's not the point. The point is that there's so much greater history. We don't know about Native Americans. Very basically, we don't know that much about African American history, except that they were enslaved. You only get bits and pieces. — Luis J. Rodriguez
The message for the American youth is that this is a great country and we need to make sure that we pass on a heritage, a lineage and a legacy of American exceptionalism to each and everyone of you so that you can enjoy all the great liberties and freedoms that all the previous generations have had. — Allen West
There is nothing the matter with Americans except their ideals. The real American is all right; it is the ideal American who is all wrong. — G. K. Chesterton
We're at the crossroads. Down one road is a European centralized bureaucratic socialist welfare system in which politicians and bureaucrats define the future. Down the other road is a proud, solid, reaffirmation of American exceptionalism. — Newt Gingrich
I am an American, not by accident of birth but by choice. I voted with my feet and became an American because I love this country and think it is exceptional. — Fareed Zakaria
I was 19 when I first auditioned for 'American Idol.' I'd never been on an airplane; I'd never been outside of my hometown, except to go to Myrtle Beach. I'm 22 now. I'm learning a lot about life, and it's all in front of the cameras. — Kellie Pickler
People get tired of talking about American exceptionalism, but I think this is an extraordinary thing about the United States, that we are a nation of immigrants, first of all, that is built upon a pluralistic society of native people that were here to begin with. The issue of diversity is really with us from the beginning. — Diana L. Eck
Europeans, like some Americans, drive on the right side of the road, except in England, where they drive on both sides of the road; Italy, where they drive on the sidewalk; and France, where if necessary they will follow you right into the hotel lobby. — Dave Barry
American parents, on the whole, do not want their sons to be artisans or craftsmen, but business or professional people. As a result, millions of youngsters are being prepared for careers they have little aptitude for - and little interest in except for dubious prestige. — Sydney J. Harris
I wonder that we Americans love our country at all, it having no limits and no oneness; and when you try to make it a matter of the heart, everything falls away except one's native State; --neither can you seize hold of that, unless you tear it out of the Union, bleeding and quivering. — Nathaniel Hawthorne
The greatness of America is capitalism, free market capitalism. The exceptionalism of American business. — Fran Tarkenton
There is really no crisis except an artificial one...If the great American people will only keep their temper, on both sides of the line, the trouble will come to an end. — Abraham Lincoln
Young Americans today are no more learned or skilful than their predecessors, no more knowledgeable, fluent, up-to-date, or inquisitive, except in the materials of youth culture. — Mark Bauerlein
...these are the problems of the modern U.S. combat soldier, the constant worry about overstepping the mark and an American media that delights in trying to knock us down. Which we have done nothing to deserve. Except, perhaps, love our country and everything it stands for. — Marcus Luttrell
We don't have to apologize for American exceptionalism or western values. — Rick Perry
Just a rock, a dome of snow, the deep blue sky, and a hunk of orange-painted metal from which a shredded American flag cracked in the wind. Nothing more. Except two tiny figures walking together those last few feet to the top of the Earth. — Tom Hornbein
With few exceptions, every major pop singer in the US during her generation has been touched in some way by her genius. It is Billie Holiday who was, and still remains, the greatest single musical influence on me. Lady Day is unquestionably the most important influence on American popular singing in the last twenty years. — Frank Sinatra
The city and province were given up to anarchy; the coloured people, elated with victory, proclaimed the slaughter of all whites, except the English, French, and American residents. — Henry Walter Bates
I'm not going to critique the president's every utterance, but I do think America is exceptional. America is different. We don't operate in any way the Russians do. I think there's a clear distinction here that all Americans understand, and no, I would not have characterized it that way. — Mitch McConnell
I think where [Donald Trump] loses most hawkish republicans is when he talking about how much he likes [Vladimir] Putin. That should make any person who believe in the American exceptionalism, incredibly uncomfortable. — John McCain
Many Americans think of the rest of the world as a kind of Disneyland, a showplace for quaint fauna, flora and artifacts. They dress for travel in cheap, comfortable, childish clothes, as if they were going to the zoo and would not be seen by anyone except the animals. — Alison Lurie
The idea of American exceptionalism doesn't extend to Americans being exceptional. — Maureen Dowd
Students of American history will recall that the important place where work gets done in the legislative body, almost without exception, is in the committees, more so than on the floor although sometimes more attention is paid to the floor. — Paul Sarbanes
I like Celtic folk music, Native American music, and any kind of early music. There isn't a lot of music that I don't like... except for Show Tunes. — Terri Windling
Post World War II America draws a great deal of interest, but the students also seem to know quite a bit about American exceptionalism and its historical roots. — Mohammad Marandi
The position of the Americans is quite exceptional, and it may be believed that no democratic people will ever be placed in a similar one. — Alexis de Tocqueville
The erosion of equal opportunity is among the greatest threats to our exceptionalism as a nation. But it also provides us with an exciting and historic opportunity: to help more people than ever achieve the American Dream. — Marco Rubio
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