America Quotes
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“That's why they call it the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.”
― George Carlin
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“And on the subject of burning books: I want to congratulate librarians, not famous for their
physical strength or their powerful political connections or their great wealth, who, all over this
country, have staunchly resisted anti-democratic bullies who have tried to remove certain books
from their shelves, and have refused to reveal to thought police the names of persons who have
checked out those titles.
So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or
the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our
public libraries.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country
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“America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be
great.”
― Alexis de Tocqueville
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“Anyone in any walk of life who is content with mediocrity is untrue to himself and to American
tradition.”
― George S. Patton Jr.
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“America is the greatest engine of innovation that has ever existed, and it can't be duplicated
anytime soon, because it is the product of a multitude of factors: extreme freedom of thought, an
emphasis on independent thinking, a steady immigration of new minds, a risk-taking culture with
no stigma attached to trying and failing, a non-corrupt bureaucracy, and financial markets and a
venture capital system that are unrivaled at taking new ideas and turning them into global
products.”
― Thomas L. Friedman
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“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible;
who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power
of our Democracy; Tonight is your answer.”
― Barack Obama
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“There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.”
― Bill Clinton
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“I love America and I hate it. I'm torn between the two. I have two conflicting visions of America.
One is a kind of dream landscape and the other is a kind of black comedy.”
― Bono
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The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in
her ability to repair her faults.
- Alexis de Tocqueville
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“God created war so that Americans would learn geography.”
― Mark Twain
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“Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One
hopes it is the same half.”
― Gore Vidal, Screening History
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“I don't believe there's any problem in this country, no matter how tough it is, that Americans,
when they roll up their sleeves, can't completely ignore.”
― George Carlin, Brain Droppings
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“Americans used to be 'citizens.' Now we are 'consumers.”
― Vicki Robin
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“What constitutes an American? Not color nor race nor religion. Not the pedigree of his family nor
the place of his birth. Not the coincidence of his citizenship. Not his social status nor his bank
account. Not his trade nor his profession. An American is one who loves justice and believes in the
dignity of man. An American is one who will fight for his freedom and that of his neighbor. An
American is one who will sacrifice property, ease and security in order that he and his children
may retain the rights of free men. An American is one in whose heart is engraved the immortal
second sentence of the Declaration of Independence.”
― Harold Ickes
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If violence is wrong in America, violence is wrong abroad. If it is wrong to be violent defending
black women and black children and black babies and black men, then it is wrong for America to
draft us, and make us violent abroad in defense of her. And if it is right for America to draft us,
and teach us how to be violent in defense of her, then it is right for you and me to do whatever is
necessary to defend our own people right here in this country.
- Malcolm X
Assignment
Write a quality paragraph using pieces of at least two quotes from above. Your topic sentence for this
paragraph should be either:
A problem with America is___________________________________.
OR
Something great about America is ___________________________________.
Remember the Paragraph Notes we covered in class. Make sure you:
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Have a clear topic sentence that lays out what you will prove in your paragraph
Use clear and concise direct text that is well set up with context – You will probably have to
shorten the quote. Consider using the ellipsis. . .
Have commentary to go with each piece of direct text
Avoid 1st person, 2nd person, questions, and “I think”
Build a paragraph that surpasses the initial TS-CD-CM-CM-CD-CM-CM-Close structure.