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Famous American Quotations

Best famous American quotations. Find, read, and share the best famous quotations by American. These are the most popular quotations and best examples of quotes by American.

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Quote Left An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life: A fight is going on inside me, he said to the boy. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too. The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather,Which wolf will win? The old Cherokee simply replied, The one you feed. Quote Right
Quote Left I see great things in baseball. It's our game--the American game. It will take our people out-of-doors, fill them with oxygen, give them a larger physical stoicism. Tend to relieve us from being a nervous, dyspeptic set. Repair these losses, and be a blessing to us. Quote Right
Quote Left A Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson about how he felt. He said, 'I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is the vengeful, angry, violent one. The other wolf is the loving, compassionate one. The grandson asked him, Which wolf will win the fight in your heart? The grandfather answered, The one I feed. Quote Right
Quote Left The mystic prophets of the absolute cannot save us. Sustained by our history and traditions, we must save ourselves, at whatever risk of heresy or blasphemy. We can find solace in the memorable representation of the human struggle against the absolute in the finest scene in the greatest of American novels. I refer of course to the scene when Huckleberry Finn decides that the '' plain hand of Providence '' requires him to tell Miss Watson where her runaway slave Jim is to be found. Huck writes his letter of betrayal to Miss Watson and feels '' all washed clean of sin for the first time I had ever felt so in my life, and I knowed I could pray now. '' He sits there for a while thinking '' how good it was all this happened so, and how near I come to being lost and going to hell .'' Then Huck begins to think about Jim and the rush of the great river and the talking and the singing and the laughing and friendship. '' Then I happened to look around and see that paper. . . . I took it up, and held it in my hand. I was a-trembling because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: 'All right, then, I'll go to hell' - and tore it up .'' Quote Right
Quote Left The system -- the American one, at least -- is a vast and noble experiment. It has been polestar and exemplar for other nations. But from kindergarten until she graduates from college the girl is treated in it exactly like her brothers. She studies the same subjects, becomes proficient at the same sports. Oh, it is a magnificent lore she learns, education for the mind beyond anything Jane Austen or Saint Theresa or even Mrs. Pankhurst ever dreamed. It is truly Utopian. But Utopia was never meant to exist on this disheveled planet. Quote Right
Quote Left The gap between ideals and actualities, between dreams and achievements, the gap that can spur strong men to increased exertions, but can break the spirit of others -- this gap is the most conspicuous, continuous land mark in American history. It is conspicuous and continuous not because Americans achieve little, but because they dream grandly. The gap is a standing reproach to Americans; but it marks them off as a special and singularly admirable community among the world's peoples. Quote Right
Quote Left When Apollo Mission Astronaut Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon, he not only gave his famous one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind statement but followed it by several remarks, usual com traffic between him, the other astronauts and Mission Control. Just before he re-entered the lander, however, he made the enigmatic remark; 'Good luck Mr. Gorsky.' Many people at NASA thought it was a casual remark concerning some rival Soviet Cosmonaut. However, upon checking, there was no Mr. Gorsky in either the Russian or American space programs. Over the years many people questioned Armstrong as to what the Good luck Mr. Gorsky statement meant, but Armstrong always just smiled. Just last year, (on 5 July 1995 in Tampa Bay, FL) while answering questions following a speech, a reporter brought up the 26-year-old question to Armstrong. This time he finally responded. Mr. Gorsky had finally died and so Neil Armstrong felt he could answer the question. When he was a kid, he was playing baseball with a friend in the backyard. His friend hits a fly ball which landed in the front of his neighbors bedroom windows. His neighbors were Mr. And Mrs. Gorsky. As he leaned down to pick up the ball, young Armstrong heard Mrs. Gorsky shouting at Mr. Gorsky. 'Oral sex! You want oral sex?! You'll get oral sex when the kid next door walks on the moon!' Quote Right
Quote Left The white American man makes the white American woman maybe not superfluous but just a little kind of decoration. Not really important to turning around the wheels of the state. Well the black American woman has never been able to feel that way. No black American man at any time in our history in the United States has been able to feel that he didn't need that black woman right against him, shoulder to shoulder -- in that cotton field, on the auction block, in the ghetto, wherever. Quote Right
Quote Left LESTER: I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn't a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time... For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout camp, watching falling stars... And yellow leaves, from the maple trees, that lined my street... Or my grandmother's hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper... And the first time I saw my cousin Tony's brand new Firebird... And Janie... And... Carolyn.I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me... but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst......and then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... You will someday. Quote Right
Quote Left At this time in American history, we are like ghosts talking gibberish through different dimensions, and stupid men do not make good make good... Quote Right
Quote Left Two hours is about as long as any American can wait for the close of a baseball game, or anything else for that matter. Quote Right
Quote Left I should like you to remember two or three fixed principles which shine through all the history of mankind. The first is that mere bigness is not greatness. There is no dignity, no nobleness, in mere bulk. The true greatness of a nation depends upon the character of its ethical ideal and the energy with which it pursues it. I count it a peculiar good fortune for the American nation that it was conceived in liberty and intelligence and swaddled in order and justice, and that its early years were watched over by men who saw in such an organization the best hopes of the human race. But the baptism of the fathers does not guarantee the consecration of their children; and the republic can be kept true to its ideals only by the devoted efforts of each succeeding generation. Thus is it the privilege of the quiet scholar, who sees and speaks the truth, to shape from his study the policy of nations and the course of history. Quote Right
Quote Left I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child, well nursed, is at a year old, a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or a ragout. Quote Right
Quote Left A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time. When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, The one I feed the most. On Other Peoples Expectations: The only man who behaved sensibly was my tailor; he took my measurement anew every time he saw me, while all the rest went on with their old measurements and expected them to fit me. Quote Right
Quote Left The last publicized center of American writing was Manhattan. Its writers became known as the New York Intellectuals. With important connectio... Quote Right
Quote Left What then is the American, this new man? He is either an European, or the descendant of an European, hence that strange misture of blood, which you will find in no other country. I could point out to you a family whose grandfather was an englishman, whose wife was Dutch, whose son married a french woman, and whose present four sons have now four wives of different nations. He is an American. Quote Right
Quote Left A Haiku is just like a normal American poem except that it doesn't rhyme and it's totally stupid. Quote Right
Quote Left I've always wondered why European politicians as a group seemed brighter than American politicians as a group. Maybe it's because many America... Quote Right
Quote Left Is the human species a cancer on the planet?' American Anthropology Society's Symposium Organizer, Dr. Warren Hern, physician and epidemiologist, said that aerial and satellite views of urban centers taken over a period of years bore a striking similarity to images of cancerous tissue invading the healthy surrounding tissue. He added that in many parts of the world the increase in human numbers is rapid and uncontrolled, that it invades and destroys habitats, and that by killing off many species it reduces the differentiation of nature.' Quote Right
Quote Left Readers of the twenty-first chapter must decide for themselves whether it enhances the book they presumably know or is really a discardable limb. I meant the book to end in this way, but my aesthetic judgement may have been faulty. Writers are rarely their own best critics, nor are critics. 'Quod scripsi scripsi' said Pontius Pilate when he made Jesus Christ the King of the Jews. 'What I have written I have Written.' We can destroy what we have written but we cannot unwrite it. I leave what I wrote with what Dr. Johnson called frigid indifference to the judgement of that .00000001 of the American population which cares about such things. Eat this sweetish segment or spit it out. You are free. Quote Right
Quote Left For Americans war is almost all of the time a nuisance, and military skill is a luxury like Mah-Jongg. But when the issue is brought home to them, war becomes as important, for the necessary period, as business or sport. And it is hard to decide which is likely to be the more ominous for the Axis -- an American decision that this is sport, or that it is business. Quote Right
Quote Left The further jazz moves away from the stark blue continuum and the collective realities of Afro-American and American life, the more it moves into academic concert-hall lifelessness, which can be replicated by any middle class showing off its music lessons. Quote Right
Quote Left The principle feature of American liberalism is sanctimoniousness. By loudly denouncing all bad things -- war and hunger and date rape -- liberals testify to their own terrific goodness. More important, they promote themselves to membership in a self-selecting elite of those who care deeply about such things. It's a kind of natural aristocracy, and the wonderful thing about this aristocracy is that you don't have to be brave, smart, strong or even lucky to join it, you just have to be liberal. Quote Right
Quote Left As we look over the list of the early leaders of the republic, Washington, John Adams, Hamilton, and others, we discern that they were all men who insisted upon being themselves and who refused to truckle to the people. With each succeeding generation, the growing demand of the people that its elective officials shall not lead but merely register the popular will has steadily undermined the independence of those who derive their power from popular election. The persistent refusal of the Adamses to sacrifice the integrity of their own intellectual and moral standards and values for the sake of winning public office or popular favor is another of the measuring rods by which we may measure the divergence of American life from its starting point. Quote Right
Quote Left Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. referring to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon Quote Right
Quote Left Change is needed. Thirty years of experience with subcutaneous xenografts, human tumors implanted under the skin of the mouse, have satisfied few because so many drugs that cure cancer in these mice fail to help humans. A 2004 analysis in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that only 3.8% of patients in phase I cancer drug trials between 1991 and 2002 achieved an objective clinical response — and the response rate is declining. Almost all drugs tried in humans work against subcutaneous xenografts in mice. “How many more negative data do you want? It’s very depressing.” Quote Right
Quote Left OZOCRACY - Watch the spectacle (or divisive, polarizing issue) we, the politicians, have created or pointed out, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. The politicians have us casting votes for them based on issues like lipsticked pigs, teen pregnancy, duplicitous social class polarization, who is the truer American, who is a homosexual, race and religion etc. while they steal us blind and violate the Public Trust. (Term is based on this scene from The Wizard of Oz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWyCCJ6B2WE&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.squidoo.com%2FUSA_VOTERS_VOTE_NO_TO_GOVERNMENT_CORRUPTION_THIS_ELECTION&feature=player_embedded Quote Right
Quote Left We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions. Quote Right
Quote Left If we can boondoggle ourselves out of this depression, that word is going to be enshrined in the hearts of the American people for years to come. Quote Right
Quote Left I'm very happy to be back in touch with a part of myself. It's surreal. For 35 years, I never thought I'd be reunited with the music I wrote during the Creedence Clearwater Revival years. After meeting with Norman Lear, Hal Gaba, and Glen Barros (President of Concord), I'm happy to say that the new Fantasy is very enthusiastic about my body of work. All the people there have been delightful. They are honoring my songs that hold an important place in the history of American music. And, they are honoring me. Quote Right
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Member Quotes About American

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Quote Left A whatabout has no place in American politics. Quote Right
Quote Left In politics saying what you don't have to say, at the expenses of others, and not being able to prove it is not in the best interest of the American people. Quote Right
Quote Left Politicians have checks and balances. With law enforcement it's guilt or innocence. With colleagues it's governing and debates. With the media it's facts. With the American people it's the impression they give. Quote Right
Quote Left CINQUAIN american- Crapsey imagist English response to the Japanese haiku genre Quote Right
Quote Left If the American people do not control the narrative democracy suffers. Quote Right
Quote Left ROBERT SHERRIFF 08/07/1954 - AUSTRALIAN - POET -AUTHOR - SINGER - ACTOR - AMERICAN HISTORIAN – PHOTOGRAPHER ROBERT SHERRIFF: my fingers “There is no such thing as writer's block. When my brain shuts down, I let my fingers do the walking, and my brain does the editing. Quote Right
Quote Left ROBERT SHERRIFF - AUSTRALIAN - POET -AUTHOR - SINGER - ACTOR - AMERICAN HISTORIAN – PHOTOGRAPHER- DEDICATED TO Kellie Marie Sherriff "In the echoes of laughter, there lies a map to joy, guiding us through the labyrinth of life with its cheerful resonance." Quote Right
Quote Left ROBERT SHERRIFF - AUSTRALIAN - POET -AUTHOR - SINGER - ACTOR - AMERICAN HISTORIAN – PHOTOGRAPHER - DEDICATED TO Hayley June Brooks "Wisdom is a river, flowing through the landscape of our thoughts, carving valleys of understanding and mountains of insight." Quote Right
Quote Left ROBERT SHERRIFF - AUSTRALIAN - POET -AUTHOR - SINGER - ACTOR - AMERICAN HISTORIAN – PHOTOGRAPHER- DEDICATED TO Robert Lloyd Sherriff 3rd "Time is a sculptor, carving moments into memories, each second a chiseled stroke shaping the essence of our lives." Quote Right
Quote Left ROBERT SHERRIFF - AUSTRALIAN - POET -AUTHOR - SINGER - ACTOR - AMERICAN HISTORIAN – PHOTOGRAPHER- DEDICATED TO Blake Sherriff "The melody of the wind through trees is nature's symphony, a timeless composition of rustling leaves and whispering breezes." Quote Right
Quote Left ROBERT SHERRIFF - AUSTRALIAN - POET -AUTHOR - SINGER - ACTOR - AMERICAN HISTORIAN – PHOTOGRAPHER- DEDICATED TO Robert Lloyd Sherriff 3rd "A book is a portal, each page a step, transporting readers from the mundane to realms of infinite possibility." Quote Right
Quote Left ROBERT SHERRIFF 08/07/1954 - AUSTRALIAN - POET -AUTHOR - SINGER - ACTOR - AMERICAN HISTORIAN – PHOTOGRAPHER true worth “Only a great leader will show their true worth. It is what they have between their ears. Not between their legs. Quote Right
Quote Left ROBERT SHERRIFF 08/07/1954 - AUSTRALIAN - POET -AUTHOR - SINGER - ACTOR - AMERICAN HISTORIAN – PHOTOGRAPHER my fingers “There is no such thing as writer's block. When my brain shuts down, I let my fingers do the walking, and my brain does the editing. Quote Right
Quote Left ROBERT SHERRIFF - AUSTRALIAN - POET -AUTHOR - SINGER-ACTOR - AMERICAN HISTORIAN – PHOTOGRAPHER- DEDICATED TO Jayde Sherriff Red Roses "In the quiet of dawn, ideas bloom like red roses, unseen but fragrant, whispering secrets to the early morning light." Quote Right
Quote Left ROBERT SHERRIFF - AUSTRALIAN - POET -AUTHOR - SINGER - ACTOR - AMERICAN HISTORIAN – PHOTOGRAPHER- DEDICATED TO Blake Sherriff "The melody of the wind through trees is nature's symphony, a timeless composition of rustling leaves and whispering breezes." Quote Right
Quote Left ROBERT SHERRIFF - AUSTRALIAN - POET -AUTHOR - SINGER - ACTOR - AMERICAN HISTORIAN – PHOTOGRAPHER- DEDICATED TO Charlie Sherriff "Mountains stand as silent poets, their verses etched in stone, telling ancient stories to those who climb high enough to listen." CLICK LINK https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=climb%20every%20mountain%20song&mid=20014DA57C8D1712F9EC20014DA57C8D1712F9EC&ajaxhist=0 Quote Right
Quote Left ROBERT SHERRIFF - AUSTRALIAN - POET -AUTHOR - SINGER - ACTOR - AMERICAN HISTORIAN – PHOTOGRAPHER- DEDICATED TO E.J Brooks Rain "In every drop of rain, a story is written, a tale of travel from cloud to earth, a cycle of rebirth." Quote Right
Quote Left ROBERT SHERRIFF - AUSTRALIAN - POET -AUTHOR - SINGER - ACTOR - AMERICAN HISTORIAN – PHOTOGRAPHER- DEDICATED TO Addison Brooks Dreams "Stars are the dreams of the universe, scattered across a canvas, waiting to be deciphered by curious minds." Quote Right
Quote Left American girls were raised on daydreams American boys are made of fireworks. Quote Right
Quote Left Help us learn the lessons you have left us here, in every leaf and rock. (Native American Prayer, translation by Michael R. Burch) Quote Right
Quote Left Adam Gopnik called Randall Jarrell the “best-equipped” American poetry critic of the past century; he may have been the “best quipped” as well. (Keywords: poet, poets, poetry, poems, critic, criticism) Quote Right
Quote Left The troublemaker's way is thorny. — Native American proverb, translation by Michael R. Burch, keywords/tags: Native American, translation, troublemaker, thorn, thorny, wisdom, way, path, journey Quote Right
Quote Left Knowledge interprets the past, wisdom foresees the future. — Native American proverb, translation by Michael R. Burch, keywords/tags: Native American, translation, past, future, knowledge, wisdom, judgement Quote Right
Quote Left We will be remembered tomorrow by the tracks we leave today. — Native American proverb, translation by Michael R. Burch, keywords/tags: Native American, future, memory Quote Right
Quote Left One foot in the boat, one foot in the canoe, and you end up in the river. — Native American proverb, translation by Michael R. Burch, keywords/tags: Native American, water, river, vacillation, fence-sitting Quote Right
Quote Left Beware the eloquence of the rattlesnake's tail. — Native American saying, translation by Michael R. Burch, keywords/tags: Native American, nature, rattlesnake, eloquence, spoken word, speech Quote Right
Quote Left The more we wonder, the more we understand. — Native American proverb, translation by Michael R. Burch, keywords/tags: Native American, translation, nature, wisdom, understanding Quote Right
Quote Left Speak less thunder, wield more lightning. —Native American proverb, translation by Michael R. Burch, keywords: Native American, nature, power, lightning, thunder, speech, speak, speaking Quote Right
Quote Left What is life? The flash of a firefly. The breath of a winter buffalo. The shadow scooting across the grass that vanishes with sunset. —Blackfoot saying, translation by Michael R. Burch, keywords/tags: Native American, translation, life, nature Quote Right
Quote Left Before you judge a man for his sins be sure to trudge many moons in his moccasins. (Native American proverb, translation by Michael R. Burch, keywords/tags: judgement, anti-bullying, tolerance, understanding, sympathy, words of wisdom) Quote Right
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