--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I deigned to suggest to him that it was…" description: "\"“I deigned to suggest to him that it was also the American thing -- America was nothing if not good intentions.”\" — Aleksandar Hemon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/aleksandar-hemon-1490_quote_i-deigned-to-suggest-to-him-that-it-was_1593054.jpg" --- # I deigned to suggest to him that it was also the American… ![“I deigned to suggest to him that it was also the American thing -- America was nothing if not good intentions.” quote by Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/aleksandar-hemon-1490_quote_i-deigned-to-suggest-to-him-that-it-was_1593054.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/aleksandar-hemon-1490_quote_i-deigned-to-suggest-to-him-that-it-was_1593054.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/aleksandar-hemon-1490_quote_i-deigned-to-suggest-to-him-that-it-was_1593054.jpg) > ““I deigned to suggest to him that it was also the American thing -- America was nothing if not good intentions.”” [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He suggests that good intentions are a core American value, defining the nation. **In simple terms:** America is defined by good intentions. Key Takeaway Recognize the role of intentions. Themes national identity intentions values Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - political discourse - civic engagement - education Key Concepts American ethos moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How do intentions shape policy? - Can good intentions exist without outcomes? A Different Perspective Intentions alone may not translate to action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good intentions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-intentions/) ## Related quotes > [I've said many a time that I think the Un-American Activities Committee in the House of Representatives was the most un-American thing in America!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman-2/i-ve-said-many-a-time-that-i-think-the-un-american-activities/) [Harry S Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman-2/) > [I think it does suggest that the American people really do want to listen to somebody who actually has some solutions, some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/i-think-it-does-suggest-that-the-american-people-really-do-want-to/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [And children, if your parents haven't been teaching you what it means to be an American, let 'em know and nail 'em on it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/and-children-if-your-parents-haven-t-been-teaching-you-what-it-means/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [It's a very American thing that everything has to be a business. 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Our lives provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/even-if-you-tried-to-extinguish-your-personality-what-is-left-in-the/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [To me there's no difference between a book of stories and a novel - they're just slightly different shapes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/to-me-there-s-no-difference-between-a-book-of-stories-and-a-novel/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [Lord, why did you leave me in these woods?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/lord-why-did-you-leave-me-in-these-woods/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [I want to change something. I want to stop the germs from attacking my daughters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-want-to-change-something-i-want-to-stop-the-germs-from-attacking-my/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [Cliché activates the comfortable mental laziness, we sort of revert to the domain of the already-familiar, what we have already imagined so that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/clich-activates-the-comfortable-mental-laziness-we-sort-of-revert-to/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [“The writer does not dare dream of giving the best of his individuality. No, he must never express his anger. 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What they lack, however, are some of the brain-based skills that we all need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-guare/when-it-comes-to-smarts-adolescents-like-jesse-have-plenty-what-they/) [Richard Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-guare/) > [After she got hurt by someone that she cared about, she's so scared to get attached again. Do you know what kind of effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callhershorty/after-she-got-hurt-by-someone-that-she-cared-about-she-s-so-scared-to/) CallHerShorty > [It has been more wittily than charitably said that hell is paved with good intentions; they have their place in heaven also.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/it-has-been-more-wittily-than-charitably-said-that-hell-is-paved-with/) [Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/) > [No one is born with good character; it's not a hereditary trait. And it isn't determined by a single noble act. Character is established…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-josephson/no-one-is-born-with-good-character-it-s-not-a-hereditary-trait-and-it/) [Michael Josephson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-josephson/) > [“The idea is that your clients are looking for good suggestions, and they don’t mind sifting through some not-so-good ones as long as they’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/the-idea-is-that-your-clients-are-looking-for-good-suggestions-and/) [Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/) > [I have no control over my writing. I have lots of good intentions, but no control. There's a story that wants to be told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-have-no-control-over-my-writing-i-have-lots-of-good-intentions-but/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Justice for some people is an evil for others. Good intentions, kindness, and hope will not necessarily make people happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gen-urobuchi/justice-for-some-people-is-an-evil-for-others-good-intentions/) [Gen Urobuchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gen-urobuchi/) > [“There is an important difference between openness and naïveté. Not everyone has good intentions nor means me well. I remind myself I do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/there-is-an-important-difference-between-openness-and-na-vet-not/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [“I reach out in love, my hands are guns, my good intentions are completely lethal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-reach-out-in-love-my-hands-are-guns-my-good-intentions-are/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Start your day with good intentions and set yourself up for a good attitude. It's not what happens to you that matters but how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/start-your-day-with-good-intentions-and-set-yourself-up-for-a-good/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [“It wasn't good, he wasn't good, he did not have good intentions. I stood there, and he stood there. He breathed out the bitter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/it-wasn-t-good-he-wasn-t-good-he-did-not-have-good-intentions-i-stood/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [“Map-making had never been a precise art on the Discworld. People tended to start off with good intentions and then get so carried away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/map-making-had-never-been-a-precise-art-on-the-discworld-people/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Nowhere is wisdom more necessary than in the guidance of charitable impulses. Meaning well is only half our duty; Thinking right is the other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-gridley-howe/nowhere-is-wisdom-more-necessary-than-in-the-guidance-of-charitable/) Samuel Gridley Howe > [“Envy shrugged. 'Can no value be found in good intentions?' 'What, precisely, are you trying to justify? And to me, or yourself?' She glared,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/envy-shrugged-can-no-value-be-found-in-good-intentions-what-precisely/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [Neither smiles nor frowns, neither good intentions nor harsh words, are a substitute for strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/neither-smiles-nor-frowns-neither-good-intentions-nor-harsh-words-are/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) [Browse all 568 Good intentions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-intentions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I deigned to suggest to him that it was also the American thing -- America was nothing if not good intentions.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Aleksandar Hemon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-deigned-to-suggest-to-him-that-it-was-also-the-american-thing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Good intentions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-deigned-to-suggest-to-him-that-it-was-also-the-american-thing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/aleksandar-hemon-1490_quote_i-deigned-to-suggest-to-him-that-it-was_1593054.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/aleksandar-hemon-1490_quote_i-deigned-to-suggest-to-him-that-it-was_1593054.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f37/aleksandar-hemon-1490_quote_i-deigned-to-suggest-to-him-that-it-was_1593054.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I deigned to suggest to him that it was also the American thing -- America was nothing if not good intentions.” — Aleksandar Hemon", "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": "Aleksandar Hemon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I deigned to suggest to him...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-deigned-to-suggest-to-him-that-it-was-also-the-american-thing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-deigned-to-suggest-to-him-that-it-was-also-the-american-thing/#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 } } ] } ```