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

  Believe, Greek, British

  News Conference By President Obama, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov. April 4, 2009.

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• I say that the United States of America is a unique experiment in history. I believe in American exceptionalism. I wasn't for sending ground forces into Libya. It would have been counterproductive, but we are an inspiration to these people. I know because I've looked them in the eyes, and they looked at me. They look to America for inspiration and leadership.

  John McCain

  Believe, Inspiration, Eye

  Source: www.realclearpolitics.com

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• 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

  People, May, Democratic

  Alexis de Tocqueville (2003). “Democracy in America”, p.440, Barnes & Noble Publishing

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• It is not that I am not a fan of American exceptionalism. That is like saying I am not a fan of the moon being made out of green cheese - it does not exist. Powerful states have quite typically considered themselves to be exceptionally magnificent, and the United States is no exception to that. The basis for it is not very substantial to put it politely.

  Noam Chomsky

  Powerful, Moon, Green

  Interview with "The Young Turks", October 26, 2010.

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• Our patriotic fervor was the result of the old and widespread belief in the idea of American exceptionalism, the idea that America was a new thing in history, different from other countries. Other nations had evolved one way or another, evolved from tribes from a gathering of clans, from inevitabilities of language and tradition and geography. But America was born, and born of ideas: that all men are created equal, that they have been given by God certain rights that can be taken from them by no man, and that those rights combine to create a thing called freedom.

  Peggy Noonan

  Country, Business, Taken

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• 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

  Country, Liberty, Legacy

  Source: wethekids.us

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• We are going to lead once again by being the best. We're gonna lead economically. We're gonna lead technologically. We're gonna go back to the Moon, we're gonna do whatever we're gonna do. We are going to lead by engaging in American exceptionalism and this is going to inspire others to come along with us. We're not shrinking away from anybody. We are reengaging. That's what Trump is, and that's what Democrats don't see.

  Rush Limbaugh

  Moon, Inspire, Being The Best

  Source: www.rushlimbaugh.com

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• 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

  Proud, Welfare, Politician

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• It's a deft trick to turn American exceptionalism into an exceptional political tactic.

  Ron Fournier

  Political, Tactics, Tricks

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• 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

  People, Humanity, Majority

  Source: www.rushlimbaugh.com

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• It can not be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!

  Unknown

  Bible, God, Education

  Patrick Henry (2007). “Patrick Henry in his speeches and writings and in the words of his contemporaries”, Warwick House Publishing

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• It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation.

  Vladimir Putin

  Inspirational, Motivation, People

  "Putin jabs U.S., Obama in op-ed, says Syria strike would be 'act of aggression'" By Jamie Crawford, www.cnn.com. September 12, 2013.

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• That [American exceptionalism] is a reaction to the inability of people to understand global complexity or important issues like American energy dependency. Therefore, they search for simplistic sources of comfort and clarity. And the people that they are now selecting to be, so to speak, the spokespersons of their anxieties are, in most cases, stunningly ignorant.

  Zbigniew Brzezinski

  Issues, People, Anxiety

  "Spokespersons of US Right 'In Most Cases Stunningly Ignorant'". Interview with Gregor Peter Schmitz, www.spiegel.de. December 6, 2010.

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• More than any other figure in our history [Tomas] Jefferson is responsible for the idea of American exceptionalism.

  Gordon S. Wood

  Ideas, Responsible, Figures

  Source: www.theimaginativeconservative.org

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• This is the thing that forever frustrated me about Obama: Not recognizing American exceptionalism. We are the beacon of freedom and liberty. If we don't stand for it, it isn't gonna survive anywhere else because it's never existed in the world like it does here.

  Rush Limbaugh

  Forever, Frustrated, Liberty

  Source: www.rushlimbaugh.com

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• 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

  Tired, Thinking, Talking

  Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

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• Gone is any mention of American exceptionalism. I happen to believe that twice, three times in the 20th century, the United States saved Western democracy, both World War - both World Wars and the Cold War.

  Mark Shields

  War, Believe, Democracy

  Source: www.pbs.org

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• American exceptionalism is the recurring character in the nation's narrative.

  Ron Fournier

  Character, Narrative, Recurring

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• 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

  War, People, Fake

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• 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

  Country, Class, America

  Source: www.rushlimbaugh.com

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• Everything that everyone is afraid of has already happened: The fragility of capitalism, which we don't want to admit; the loss of the empire of the United States; and American exceptionalism. In fact, American exceptionalism is that we are exceptionally backward in about fifteen different categories, from education to infrastructure.

  James Hillman

  Loss, United States, Different

  "America and the Shift in Ages: An Interview with Jungian James Hillman". Interview With Pythia Peay, www.huffingtonpost.com. February 26, 2011.

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• Trump believes we lead nations. Trump believes we set the example. Trump believes that American exceptionalism means just that, and anybody that wants to come along with us is more than welcome to. But they got to understand who we are. We're not gonna define ourselves by telling ourselves we're no good or we don't rate, we're gonna be more like you.

  Rush Limbaugh

  Believe, Mean, Welcome

  Source: www.rushlimbaugh.com

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• If people are being upstanding citizens of the Republic, then you have to widen the net to incarcerate them. This explains why America's prisons are full of nonviolent offenders - a perfect example of American exceptionalism.

  Henry Rollins

  America, People, Perfect

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• 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

  War, Roots, America

  Source: www.guernicamag.com

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• American exceptionalism requires understanding biblical view.

  Jim DeMint

  Biblical, Views, Understanding

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