--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Americans have been remarkably devoted to…" description: "\"Americans have been remarkably devoted to the capacity for belief, to idealism. That's why we get into trouble all the time. We're always viewed as nai..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fa/a-bartlett-giamatti-13095_america_americans-have-been-remarkably-devoted-t_2486948.png" --- # Americans have been remarkably devoted to the capacity for… ![“Americans have been remarkably devoted to the capacity for belief, to idealism. That's why we get into trouble all the time. We're always viewed as naive.” quote by A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fa/a-bartlett-giamatti-13095_america_americans-have-been-remarkably-devoted-t_2486948.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fa/a-bartlett-giamatti-13095_america_americans-have-been-remarkably-devoted-t_2486948.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fa/a-bartlett-giamatti-13095_america_americans-have-been-remarkably-devoted-t_2486948.png) > “Americans have been remarkably devoted to the capacity for belief, to idealism. That's why we get into trouble all the time. We're always viewed as naive.” [A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Idealism fuels belief but can be seen as naiveté, leading to conflict. **In simple terms:** Idealism can be misread as naiveté. Key Takeaway Balance belief with realism. Themes idealism belief naiveté conflict culture Mood critical reflective Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - political activism - community building - education - media discourse Key Concepts philosophy social psychology political theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you temper idealism with pragmatism? - When does belief become harmful? A Different Perspective Blind idealism can cause unrealistic expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Idealism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idealism/) ## Related quotes > [Soviet propaganda is remarkably effective and the Americans are even more remarkably stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-reza-pahlavi/soviet-propaganda-is-remarkably-effective-and-the-americans-are-even/) [Mohammed Reza Pahlavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-reza-pahlavi/) > [“An idealist is someone who helps other people to be prosperous”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-henry-ford/an-idealist-is-someone-who-helps-other-people-to-be-prosperous/) Ford Henry Ford > [“You know, the whole thing about perfectionism. The perfectionism is very dangerous. Because of course if your fidelity to perfectionism is too high, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/you-know-the-whole-thing-about-perfectionism-the-perfectionism-is/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“The biggest catch need not be grandest at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-harglesis/the-biggest-catch-need-not-be-grandest-at-all/) [Andy Harglesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-harglesis/) > [They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-orlov/they-say-evil-prevails-when-good-men-fail-to-act-what-they-ought-to/) [Yuri Orlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuri-orlov/) > [Women have been charged with deviousness and duplicity since the dawn of civilization so they have never been able to pretend that their masks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/women-have-been-charged-with-deviousness-and-duplicity-since-the-dawn/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [Without magic, there is no art. Without art, there is no idealism. Without idealism, there is no integrity. Without integrity, there is nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/without-magic-there-is-no-art-without-art-there-is-no-idealism/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [Only the broken-hearted idealist can become a cynic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-clifton/only-the-broken-hearted-idealist-can-become-a-cynic/) Mark Clifton > [I unconsciously decided that, even if it wasn't an ideal world, it should be. So I painted only the ideal aspects of it -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-rockwell/i-unconsciously-decided-that-even-if-it-wasn-t-an-ideal-world-it/) [Norman Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-rockwell/) > [I see history as really cyclical in terms of the intense idealism, and the desire to create a better life outside of societal norms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/i-see-history-as-really-cyclical-in-terms-of-the-intense-idealism-and/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [“David Hume, in a moment of acute skepticism, felt panicky in the solitude of his study and had to go out and join his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barrett/david-hume-in-a-moment-of-acute-skepticism-felt-panicky-in-the/) [William Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barrett/) > [Love your country, not for her power or wealth, but for her selflessness and her idealism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/love-your-country-not-for-her-power-or-wealth-but-for-her/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [In a democracy, the one thing that cannot be done is to destroy its trust, its hope, its idealism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-heinz/in-a-democracy-the-one-thing-that-cannot-be-done-is-to-destroy-its/) [Teresa Heinz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-heinz/) > [What the nostalgic past and the imaginary future seem to share in common is a form of idealism, perhaps a dream of wholeness. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-d-ambrosio/what-the-nostalgic-past-and-the-imaginary-future-seem-to-share-in/) [Charles D'Ambrosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-d-ambrosio/) > [“I'm an idealist who has outgrown my idealism I have nothing to do the rest of my life but do it and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-an-idealist-who-has-outgrown-my-idealism-i-have-nothing-to-do-the/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) ## More by A. Bartlett Giamatti > [Winning has a joy and discrete purity to it that cannot be replaced by anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bartlett-giamatti/winning-has-a-joy-and-discrete-purity-to-it-that-cannot-be-replaced/) [A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) > [My goal has been to encourage jointness, to push people to think of affiliations rather than to operate as solo entrepreneurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bartlett-giamatti/my-goal-has-been-to-encourage-jointness-to-push-people-to-think-of/) [A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) > [“Romance is about putting things aright after some tragedy has put them asunder. It is about restoration of the right relations among things —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bartlett-giamatti/romance-is-about-putting-things-aright-after-some-tragedy-has-put/) [A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) > [A convention is a social pattern we have chosen to prefer over whatever the raw world simply proffers. It is a sign of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bartlett-giamatti/a-convention-is-a-social-pattern-we-have-chosen-to-prefer-over/) [A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) > [A liberal education is at the heart of a civil society, and at the heart of a liberal education is the act of teaching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bartlett-giamatti/a-liberal-education-is-at-the-heart-of-a-civil-society-and-at-the/) [A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) > [“For all the allure of speciously stress-free suburbs, for all the grinding of city life, cities endure. And when all those diverse energies are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bartlett-giamatti/for-all-the-allure-of-speciously-stress-free-suburbs-for-all-the/) [A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) > [Talking to Yogi Berra about baseball is like talking to Homer about the Gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bartlett-giamatti/talking-to-yogi-berra-about-baseball-is-like-talking-to-homer-about/) [A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) > [We have an obligation to spread amateur baseball both at home and abroad. Building up the game at all levels - Little League, Babe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bartlett-giamatti/we-have-an-obligation-to-spread-amateur-baseball-both-at-home-and/) [A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) > [It is not enough to offer a smorgasbord of courses. We must insure that students are not just eating at one end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bartlett-giamatti/it-is-not-enough-to-offer-a-smorgasbord-of-courses-we-must-insure/) [A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) > [No one man is superior to the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bartlett-giamatti/no-one-man-is-superior-to-the-game/) [A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) > [There are many who lust for the simple answers of doctrine or decree. They are on the left and right. They are not confined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bartlett-giamatti/there-are-many-who-lust-for-the-simple-answers-of-doctrine-or-decree/) [A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) > [I'm the world's expert on sterotypes held by academics about athletes and held by athletes about academics. To me, both of them are caricatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bartlett-giamatti/i-m-the-world-s-expert-on-sterotypes-held-by-academics-about-athletes/) [A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) > [“Sports represent a shared vision of how we continue, as individual, team, or community, to experience a happiness or absence of care so intense,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bartlett-giamatti/sports-represent-a-shared-vision-of-how-we-continue-as-individual/) [A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) > [All I ever wanted to be president of was the American League.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bartlett-giamatti/all-i-ever-wanted-to-be-president-of-was-the-american-league/) [A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) > [Baseball has undergone and absorbed a whole set of dislocations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bartlett-giamatti/baseball-has-undergone-and-absorbed-a-whole-set-of-dislocations/) [A. Bartlett Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) [Explore all 51 A. Bartlett Giamatti quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bartlett-giamatti/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. 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