“It was practically un-American to not set goals and then do everything you could, everything, to reach them. Quitting -- it was a dirty word...”— Deb Caletti, amazon.com
“In every American there is an air of incorrigible innocence, which seems to conceal a diabolical cunning.”— A. E. Housman, amazon.com
“America is indeed a place where all things are possible: that is its greatest promise and, perhaps, its gravest peril.”— David Remnick, newyorker.com
“So regardless of the station we occupy; we have to try harder; to start with the premise that each of our fellow citizens loves this country just as much as we do; that they value hard work and family like we do; that their children are just as curious and hopeful and worthy of love as our own.”— Barack Obama, latimes.com
“The United States is home to 5% of the world’s population, but 25% of the world’s prisoners. Think about that.”— Barack Obama, imdb.com
“Listen, I have been educated. I have learned about Western Civilization. Do you know What the message of Western Civilization is? I am alone.”— Eileen Myles, poetryfoundation.org
“Half of America is thinking to themselves: 'I'm a decent, hardworking American, scared for the future because manufacturing jobs are going away, my community is disintegrating, and the people in power don't care about me. Why do these liberal crybabies think I'm some racist hick?' The other half is…”— Ben Tolkin, facebook.com
“Whatever happens today, a lot of Americans are going to have some weird weird sex tonight.”— Erin Gloria Ryan, twitter.com
“Remember kid, there's heroes and there's legends. Heroes get remembered but legends never die, follow your heart kid, and you'll never go wrong.”— Art LaFleur, The Babe, amazon.com
“We've never lost an American in space and we're sure as hell not gonna lose one on my watch. Failure is not an option.”— Ed Harris, Gene Kranz, amazon.com
“Great moments... are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here, tonight, boys. That's what you've earned here tonight. One game. If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine. But not this game. Not tonight. Tonight, we skate with them. Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them…”— Kurt Russell, Herb Brooks, amazon.com
“You see, boys forget what their country means by just reading The Land of the Free in history books. Then they get to be men they forget even more. Liberty's too precious a thing to be buried in books, Miss Saunders. Men should hold it up in front of them every single day of their lives and say: I'm…”— James Stewart, Jefferson Smith, amazon.com
“'Mankind.’ That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can’t be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps it’s fate that today is the Fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom… Not from tyranny, oppression, o…”— Bill Pullman, Thomas J Whitmore, amazon.com
“My whole life people have been telling me what I could and couldn't do. I've always listened to them, believed what they said. I don't wanna do that anymore.”— Rudy Ruettiger, amazon.com
“I believe that in America, if you can dream it, you should be able to build it.”— Hillary Clinton, vox.com
“Baby Boomers are entering retirement in a state of actual bankruptcy. 54% of those over the age of 55 have less than one years worth of savings to their name, that is a problem, especially when this is the only country where you have to pay up to 10 times as much for simple medicines as you would pa…”— Peter Theil, youtube.com
“Everywhere I go in this country, all I see is untapped potential waiting to be set free. And the biggest element of all is our incredible people — the people of this country. They’re just waiting. They’re waiting and waiting, and I think maybe now their time has come.”— Donald Trump, time.com
“There is nothing we cannot accomplish. The United States is great. It’s great. Its people are great. There is no task or project too great. There is no dream outside of our reach. Don’t ever let anyone tell you it can’t be done. The future lies with the dreamers, not the cynics and the critics.”— Donald Trump, time.com
“Around the globe, household wealth, longevity and education are on the rise, while violent crime and extreme poverty are down. In the U.S., life expectancy is higher than ever, our air is the cleanest it's been in a decade, and despite a slight uptick last year, violent crime has been trending down…”— Neil Strauss, rollingstone.com