American Greatness Quotes

“Father said he wasn’t worried. He said Americans are like this, brittle with privilege. Sometimes anger robs them of their senses and they make bad decisions, but in a way this was really just another testament to American greatness—how adept the United States was at surviving its endless self-inflicted wounds. We live in a good country, he said, and it will be good again.”
― Omar El Akkad, A People's Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers

“So, you Americans kidnap people from all over the world and then tell them, "you chose to be there"? I said. 'I was in Afghanistan. Yes, this is my fault. That doesn't give you the right to hold me forever without any rights or justice. To just forget about me. What about those men who were kidnapped from different countries and brought here? What do you tell them? What if some government kidnapped your son and held him without charges and no rights? What would you say to that?' I looked around at our block. 'Is this what American greatness is about?”
― Mansoor Adayfi, Don't Forget Us Here: Lost and Found at Guantanamo

“Every single day, millions of people in this country wake up doing their very best to live decent and purposeful lives.

Yeah, we’re all tested in one way or another. And there are plenty of times we all fall short, but deep down in our hearts and souls we all know right from wrong. We know selflessness from greed, righteousness from injustice. We understand that we all rise and fall together, that every last one of us is an invaluable contributor to the greatness of America.”
― Michelle Obama