---
title: "1 American greatness Quotes By Bret Stephens"
description: "1 American greatness quotes by Bret Stephens. Plus more from Bret Stephens and more American greatness sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/bret-stephens-3977_american-greatness_it-s-easy-to-deprecate-some-of-the-puffe_2963119.jpg"
---

> [It's easy to deprecate some of the puffery and jingoism that often go with affirmations of 'American greatness.' It's also easy to confuse greatness with perfection, as if evidence of our shortcomings is proof of our mediocrity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/it-s-easy-to-deprecate-some-of-the-puffery-and-jingoism-that-often-go/)

[Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d47/bret-stephens-3977_american-greatness_it-s-easy-to-deprecate-some-of-the-puffe_2963119.jpg)

## More by Bret Stephens

> [The hater always suffers more than the object of his hatred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/the-hater-always-suffers-more-than-the-object-of-his-hatred/)

[Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/)

> [Listen carefully to the global warming alarmists, and the main theme that emerges is that what the developed world needs is a large dose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/listen-carefully-to-the-global-warming-alarmists-and-the-main-theme/)

[Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/)

> ['Democratic socialism' is awful as a slogan and catastrophic as a policy. And 'social democracy' - a term that better fits the belief of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/democratic-socialism-is-awful-as-a-slogan-and-catastrophic-as-a/)

[Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/)

> [When you work at 'The Wall Street Journal,' the coins of the realm are truth and trust - the latter flowing exclusively from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/when-you-work-at-the-wall-street-journal-the-coins-of-the-realm-are/)

[Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/)

> [No adviser to a president is going to get his way all of the time, but at a minimum, that adviser should be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/no-adviser-to-a-president-is-going-to-get-his-way-all-of-the-time-but/)

[Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/)

> [Every president inherits a mixed bag when he comes to office, and Obama's was hardly the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/every-president-inherits-a-mixed-bag-when-he-comes-to-office-and/)

[Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/)

> [There was a time when the conservative movement was led by the likes of Bill Buckley and Irving Kristol and Bob Bartley, men of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/there-was-a-time-when-the-conservative-movement-was-led-by-the-likes/)

[Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/)

> [We elected Donald J. Trump to keep us jittery and entertained. He's delivered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/we-elected-donald-j-trump-to-keep-us-jittery-and-entertained-he-s/)

[Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/)

> [The United States survives so long as at least one of its major parties is politically and intellectually healthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/the-united-states-survives-so-long-as-at-least-one-of-its-major/)

[Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/)

> [Censoriously asserting one's moral superiority and treating skeptics as imbeciles and deplorables wins few converts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/censoriously-asserting-one-s-moral-superiority-and-treating-skeptics/)

[Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/)

> [What is absolutely clear is that if Trump is the nominee, Republicans cannot win. Maybe they can't win with Rubio or Cruz or Kasich.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/what-is-absolutely-clear-is-that-if-trump-is-the-nominee-republicans/)

[Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/)

> [Everything Republicans once claimed to advocate - entitlement reform, free trade, standing up to dictators, encouraging the march of freedom around the world -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/everything-republicans-once-claimed-to-advocate-entitlement-reform/)

[Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/)

> [The best scientific evidence suggests temperatures are rising, and the best scientific evidence suggests man-made anthropogenic carbon emissions have some substantial thing to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/the-best-scientific-evidence-suggests-temperatures-are-rising-and-the/)

[Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/)

> [The intelligent defense of free speech should not rest on the notion that we must tolerate every form of speech, no matter how offensive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/the-intelligent-defense-of-free-speech-should-not-rest-on-the-notion/)

[Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/)

> [When George W. Bush decided to save the American position in Iraq by going against the advice of all of his wise men, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/when-george-w-bush-decided-to-save-the-american-position-in-iraq-by/)

[Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/)

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