---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some people believe the U.S. can't…"
description: "\"Some people believe the U.S. can't compete in the design and manufacture of sophisticated products. I think we absolutely can if we pull together. We h..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/alan-mulally-5334_believe_some-people-believe-the-u-s-can-t-compet_95927.jpg"
---

#  Some people believe the U.S. can't compete in the design…

![“Some people believe the U.S. can't compete in the design and manufacture of sophisticated products. I think we absolutely can if we pull together. We have shown that we can do that in commercial airplanes, and we can absolutely prove that we can do that in automobiles.” quote by Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/alan-mulally-5334_believe_some-people-believe-the-u-s-can-t-compet_95927.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/alan-mulally-5334_believe_some-people-believe-the-u-s-can-t-compet_95927.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/alan-mulally-5334_believe_some-people-believe-the-u-s-can-t-compet_95927.jpg)

> “Some people believe the U.S. can't compete in the design and manufacture of sophisticated products. I think we absolutely can if we pull together. We have shown that we can do that in commercial airplanes, and we can absolutely prove that we can do that in automobiles.”

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

America can design and produce complex products if it unites effort, as proven in aerospace and automotive sectors.

**In simple terms:** Collaboration enables high-tech success.

Key Takeaway

Unified effort yields advanced manufacturing.

Themes

innovation manufacturing collaboration national capability technology

Mood

determined optimistic

Type

motivational strategic

When to use this quote

- aerospace engineering
- automotive design
- government‑industry partnerships

Key Concepts

industrial policy teamwork

Practical Applications

- policy advocacy
- industry consortium building

Questions to Reflect On

- What barriers hinder domestic high‑tech production?
- How can collaboration be fostered across sectors?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

## Related quotes

> [The similarities between commercial airplanes and automobiles are striking. It's all about safe and efficient transportation using the latest technology and the best fuel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/the-similarities-between-commercial-airplanes-and-automobiles-are/)

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

> [I actually don't think that brand new logos are worth that much or mean that much in and of themselves. So why not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/i-actually-don-t-think-that-brand-new-logos-are-worth-that-much-or/)

[Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/)

> [In modern America, food is abundant everywhere except aboard commercial airplanes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/in-modern-america-food-is-abundant-everywhere-except-aboard/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [Keep your face clean. I don't believe in using too many products. I think that confuses your skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-agdal/keep-your-face-clean-i-don-t-believe-in-using-too-many-products-i/)

[Nina Agdal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-agdal/)

> [I'm a beauty person on YouTube, and I'm very, very, very hyper-aware of things, and I like to dive into products and just really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-mua/i-m-a-beauty-person-on-youtube-and-i-m-very-very-very-hyper-aware-of/)

[Manny MUA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-mua/)

> [Material things are not helpful after a certain degree of saturation. So you turn to other products. I think that therapy is a product…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tino-sehgal/material-things-are-not-helpful-after-a-certain-degree-of-saturation/)

[Tino Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tino-sehgal/)

> [I look at the world and peer into products and think, 'What's wrong with these products?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-fadell/i-look-at-the-world-and-peer-into-products-and-think-what-s-wrong/)

[Tony Fadell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-fadell/)

> [Winners and losers aren't born, they are the products of how they think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-holtz/winners-and-losers-aren-t-born-they-are-the-products-of-how-they-think/)

[Lou Holtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-holtz/)

> [The beauty of New York is unintentional; it arose independent of human design, like a stalagmite cavern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-beauty-of-new-york-is-unintentional-it-arose-independent-of-human/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Design is not making beauty, beauty emerges from selection, affinities, integration, love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kahn/design-is-not-making-beauty-beauty-emerges-from-selection-affinities/)

[Louis Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kahn/)

> [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/)

Jen-Hsun Huang

> [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/)

[Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/)

> [Plenty of white space and generous line spacing,and don't make the type size too miserly. Then you will be assured of a product fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giambattista-bodoni/plenty-of-white-space-and-generous-line-spacing-and-don-t-make-the/)

Giambattista Bodoni

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

## More by Alan Mulally

> [At the most fundamental level, it is an honor to serve - at whatever type or size of organization you are privileged to lead,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/at-the-most-fundamental-level-it-is-an-honor-to-serve-at-whatever/)

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

> [I taught my executive team how to argue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/i-taught-my-executive-team-how-to-argue/)

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

> [Boeing is a United States icon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/boeing-is-a-united-states-icon/)

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

> [If you get honest feedback and do nothing about it, then the feedback will stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/if-you-get-honest-feedback-and-do-nothing-about-it-then-the-feedback/)

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

> [I grew up with Microsoft. I know the leadership of Microsoft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/i-grew-up-with-microsoft-i-know-the-leadership-of-microsoft/)

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

> [I've just seen it all - I've seen the bird flu, I've seen the Asian economic meltdown, SARS, 9/11, economic cycles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/i-ve-just-seen-it-all-i-ve-seen-the-bird-flu-i-ve-seen-the-asian/)

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

> [An important part of leadership is being able to hold two things in your mind at once: Dealing with the reality, whatever it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/an-important-part-of-leadership-is-being-able-to-hold-two-things-in/)

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

> [Although the quality of the vehicles is tremendously improving year after year but the underlying reasons that people are buying cars have really gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/although-the-quality-of-the-vehicles-is-tremendously-improving-year/)

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

> [Data can set you free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/data-can-set-you-free/)

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

> [We've incentivized people in the past to maybe turn their vehicles over, you know sooner rather than later. And in the United States with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/we-ve-incentivized-people-in-the-past-to-maybe-turn-their-vehicles/)

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

> [At Ford, one of the behaviors is you listen, and you don't have side conversations during the meeting. It's just so important everybody stays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/at-ford-one-of-the-behaviors-is-you-listen-and-you-don-t-have-side/)

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

> [Don't manage your career. Follow your dream and contribute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/don-t-manage-your-career-follow-your-dream-and-contribute/)

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

> [Nothing will ever have the impact that 9/11 had on Boeing and on the world. It just changed things overnight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/nothing-will-ever-have-the-impact-that-9-11-had-on-boeing-and-on-the/)

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

> [We've always loved the automobile, and we all love Henry Ford's original vision to open the highways to all mankind, the freedom and movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/we-ve-always-loved-the-automobile-and-we-all-love-henry-ford-s/)

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

> [It's all about competitiveness: are you making the products that people really do want and value, and are you making it more efficiently and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/it-s-all-about-competitiveness-are-you-making-the-products-that/)

[Alan Mulally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

[Explore all 101 Alan Mulally quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/)

## More Believe quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/)

[Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/)

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/)

[Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/)

> [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/)

[Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/)

> [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/)

[Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/)

> [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/)

[Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/)

Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Some people believe the U.S. can't compete in the design and manufacture of sophisticated products. I think we absolutely can if we pull together. We have shown that we can do that in commercial airplanes, and we can absolutely prove that we can do that in automobiles.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alan Mulally"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/some-people-believe-the-u-s-can-t-compete-in-the-design-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Believe"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/some-people-believe-the-u-s-can-t-compete-in-the-design-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/alan-mulally-5334_believe_some-people-believe-the-u-s-can-t-compet_95927.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/alan-mulally-5334_believe_some-people-believe-the-u-s-can-t-compet_95927.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/alan-mulally-5334_believe_some-people-believe-the-u-s-can-t-compet_95927.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Some people believe the U.S. can't compete in the design and manufacture of sophisticated products. I think…” — Alan Mulally",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alan Mulally",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mulally/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Some people believe the U.S. can't...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/some-people-believe-the-u-s-can-t-compete-in-the-design-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mulally/some-people-believe-the-u-s-can-t-compete-in-the-design-and/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
