Top 54 American Quotes

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America is one of the most influential countries in history. With that in mind, check out the top 54 American quotes.

#54 – 50. American Quotes

54. Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong. – James Bryce

53. To be president of the United States is to be lonely, very lonely at times of great decisions. – Harry S. Truman

52. We on this continent should never forget that men first crossed the Atlantic not to find soil for their ploughs but to secure liberty for their souls. – Robert J. McCracken

51. They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. – Benjamin Franklin

50. In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. – Barack Obama

#49 – 40. American Quotes

49. Give me liberty, or give me death! – Patrick Henry

48. There is much more to being a patriot and a citizen than reciting the pledge or raising a flag. – Jesse Ventura

47. I think patriotism is like charity—it begins at home. – Henry James

46. In America, you can say anything you want, as long as it doesn’t have any effect. – Paul Goodman

45. There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America – there’s the United States of America. – Barack Obama

44. Laughter is America’s most important export. – Walt Disney

43. I want every child in America to eat a nutritious, delicious, sustainably sourced school lunch for free. – Alice Waters

42. My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers once, too. – Barack Obama

41. I used to be Irish Catholic. Now I’m an American — you know, you grow. – George Carlin

40. Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory.- George S. Patton

#39 – 30. American Quotes

39. We can’t all be Washingtons, but we can all be patriots. – Charles F. Browne

38. This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. – Abraham Lincoln

37. Ours is the only country deliberately founded on a good idea. – John Gunther

36. A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. – Edward Abbey

35. The willingness of America’s veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude. – Jeff Miller

34. The fate of America cannot depend on any one man. The greatness of America is grounded in principles and not on any single personality. – Franklin D. Roosevelt

33. America is hope. It is compassion, It is excellence, It is valor. – Paul Tsongas

32. The magic of America is that we’re a free and open society with a mixed population. Part of our security is our freedom. – Madeleine Albright

31. I believe in America because we have great dreams, and because we have the opportunity to make those dreams come true. – Wendell Willkie

30. If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen. – Ronald Reagan

#29 – 20. American Quotes

29. America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand. – Harry S. Truman

28. The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it. – George Carlin

27. I never dreamed I would receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, mostly because my style is so typically Austrian. – Tina Fey

26. America was not built on fear. America was built on courage on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand. –  Harry S. Truman

25. In the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it. – Barack Obama

24. Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime. – Adlai Stevenson

23. Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. – John F. Kennedy

22. The fact is, with every friendship you make and every bond of trust you establish, you are shaping the image of America projected to the rest of the world. – Michelle Obama

21. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. – Barack Obama

20. The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor, and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly. – John F. Kennedy

#19 – 10. American Quotes

19. You are either with us, or against us. – George W. Bush

18. I am an American; free born and free bred, where I acknowledge no man as my superior, except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit. – Theodore Roosevelt

17. Patriotism is easy to understand in America. It means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country. – Calvin Coolidge

16. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty. – John F. Kennedy

15. This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. – Elmer Davis

14. I am proud to be an American. Because an American can eat anything on the face of this earth as long as he has two pieces of bread. – Bill Cosby

13. If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin. – Samuel Adams

12. “What is the essence of America? Finding and maintaining that perfect, delicate balance between freedom ‘to’ and freedom ‘from’.” – Marilyn vos Savant

11. The way to secure liberty is to place it in the people’s hands, that is, to give them the power at all times to defend it in the legislature and in the courts of justice. – John Adams

10. America is a tune. It must be sung together. – Gerald Stanley Lee

#9 – 1. American Quotes

9. We are called the nation of inventors. And we are. We could still claim that title and wear its loftiest honors if we had stopped with the first thing we ever invented, which was human liberty. – Mark Twain

8. Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost the present generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it. – John Quincy Adams

7. There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America. – Bill Clinton

6. America is not just a country, it’s an idea. – Bono

5. What does the Flag mean? It is the flag just as much of the man who was naturalized yesterday as of the man whose people have been here generations. – Henry Cabot Lodge

4. America is another name for opportunity. Our whole history appears like a last effort of divine providence on behalf of the human race. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

3. Dreams are the foundation of America. – Lupita Nyong’o                                                         

2. Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! – Patrick Henry

1. Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it. – Mark Twain

Ideas for the top 54 American quotes come from the following sources.^[1]kidadl – 50+ Best Inspiring Quotes About America^[2]The Daily Signal – 22 Inspiring Quotes About What It Means to Be an American^[3]Keepinspiring.me – America Quotes to Celebrate the U.S.A