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Quotes about America

379 quotes from 149 people

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America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy.
John Updike1932–2009“How to Love America and Leave it at the Same Time,” Problems and Other Stories (1979)
- Happiness
American writers want to be not good but great; and so are neither.
Gore Vidal1925–2012Two Sisters: A Memoir in the Form of a Novel (1970)
- Writing
The corporate grip on opinion in the United States is one of the wonders of the Western World. No First World country has ever managed to eliminate so entirely from its media all objectivity — much less dissent.
Gore Vidal1925–2012“Cue the Green God, Ted” (1991).
- Journalism
There is a tragic flaw in our precious Constitution, and I don’t know what can be done to fix it. This is it: Only nut cases want to be president.
Kurt Vonnegut1922–2007Cold Turkey (2004)
- Presidency
The two real political parties in America are the Winners and the Losers. The people don’t acknowledge this. They claim membership in two imaginary parties, the Republicans and the Democrats, instead.
Kurt Vonnegut1922–2007Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons (1974)
- Politics
High school is closer to the core of the American experience than anything else I can think of.
Kurt Vonnegut1922–2007Introduction to Our Time Is Now: Notes From the High School Underground, John Birmingham, ed. (1970)
- Education
The next Augustan age will dawn on the other side of the Atlantic.
Horace Walpole1717–1797Letter to Sir Horace Mann (24 November 1774)
The United States is in no sense founded upon the Christian doctrine.
George Washington1732–1799
The constitution vests the power of declaring war in Congress; therefore no offensive expedition of importance can be undertaken until after they shall have deliberated upon the subject and authorized such a measure.
George Washington1732–1799
- War & Peace
‘Tis our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.
George Washington1732–1799George Washington’s Farewell Address (1796)
- Politics
The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for giving to Mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation.
George Washington1732–1799Letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island (1790)
The establishment of our new government seemed to be the last great experiment for promoting human happiness by a reasonable compact in civil society.
George Washington1732–1799Letter to Catharine Macaulay Graham (1790)
- Government
The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves.
George Washington1732–1799General Orders, New York (2 July 1776)
- Freedom
All see, and most admire, the glare which hovers round the external trappings of elevated office.
George Washington1732–1799Letter to Catherine Macaulay Graham (9 January 1790)
- Power
- Presidency
I am amazed that Congressmen can pass a bill imposing severe penalties on anyone who burns the American flag, whereas they are responsible for burning that for which the flag stands.
Alan Watts1915–1973Audio lecture “Individual and Society”
- Clever Jabs