--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: American values and legal traditions do…" description: "\"American values and legal traditions do not permit the indefinite detention of people beyond our borders.\" — Barack Obama" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/barack-obama-17_american-values_american-values-and-legal-traditions-do_2936977.jpg" --- # American values and legal traditions do not permit the… ![“American values and legal traditions do not permit the indefinite detention of people beyond our borders.” quote by Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/barack-obama-17_american-values_american-values-and-legal-traditions-do_2936977.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/barack-obama-17_american-values_american-values-and-legal-traditions-do_2936977.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/barack-obama-17_american-values_american-values-and-legal-traditions-do_2936977.jpg) > “American values and legal traditions do not permit the indefinite detention of people beyond our borders.” [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. American law and values prohibit holding people indefinitely outside the country. **In simple terms:** No indefinite detention abroad. Key Takeaway Uphold legal rights. Themes human rights law immigration justice policy Mood formal policy Type political ethical When to use this quote - border control - asylum cases - legal advocacy - policy making - public debate Key Concepts constitutional law international relations humanitarianism Questions to Reflect On - How to balance security and liberty? - What reforms are needed? A Different Perspective Political constraints may limit enforcement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-values/) [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [“Because American values and legal traditions do not permit the indefinite detention of people beyond our borders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-american-values-and-legal-traditions-do-not-permit-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Long before, and fully independent of, anything Congress did, President Obama made clear that he was going to preserve the indefinite detention system at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/long-before-and-fully-independent-of-anything-congress-did-president/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [What made Guantanamo such a travesty - and what still makes it such - is that it is a system of indefinite detention whereby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/what-made-guantanamo-such-a-travesty-and-what-still-makes-it-such-is/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [The stress that they're under is absolutely extreme. Indefinite detention. Not knowing when you're going to get out. The threat of being sent back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-mcgorry/the-stress-that-they-re-under-is-absolutely-extreme-indefinite/) Patrick McGorry > [“Sometimes, the loneliest place is not being far from home, but being surrounded by people who can't see beyond their own borders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camellia-yang/sometimes-the-loneliest-place-is-not-being-far-from-home-but-being/) [Camellia Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camellia-yang/) > [The free flow of people across borders is not to be confused with the free flow of goods across borders. Free trade is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/the-free-flow-of-people-across-borders-is-not-to-be-confused-with-the/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [“When India feels that the West cares as much about slavery as it does about pirated DVDs, it will dispatch people to the borders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-wudunn/when-india-feels-that-the-west-cares-as-much-about-slavery-as-it-does/) [Sheryl WuDunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-wudunn/) > [Those aren't the kinds of folks who represent our core American values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/those-aren-t-the-kinds-of-folks-who-represent-our-core-american-values/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Several Americans, unjustly detained by Iran, are finally coming home. In some cases, these Americans faced years of continued detention, and I've met with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/several-americans-unjustly-detained-by-iran-are-finally-coming-home/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington . . . I'm asking you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-m-asking-you-to-believe-not-just-in-my-ability-to-bring-about-real/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [To overcome extremism, we must also be vigilant in upholding the values our troops defend – because there is no force in the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/to-overcome-extremism-we-must-also-be-vigilant-in-upholding-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [My administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens. Indeed, I believe that doing so would break with our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/my-administration-will-not-authorize-the-indefinite-military/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans, for example, have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/in-the-wake-of-9-11-my-meetings-with-arab-and-pakistani-americans-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ I make no apologies for us wanting to do this \[bombing Iraq and Syria\] appropriately and in a way that is consistent with American… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-make-no-apologies-for-us-wanting-to-do-this-bombing-iraq-and-syria/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) ## More by Barack Obama > [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/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/donald-trump-is-temperamentally-unfit/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [What we've said to the girls is: 'If you guys ever decide that you're going to get a tattoo, then mommy and me will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-we-ve-said-to-the-girls-is-if-you-guys-ever-decide-that-you-re/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Nobody is listening to your telephone calls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/nobody-is-listening-to-your-telephone-calls/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/all-of-us-take-offense-to-anyone-who-reaps-the-rewards-of-living-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The world is complicated and full of grays, but there's still truth there to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-world-is-complicated-and-full-of-grays-but-there-s-still-truth/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ That is another theme in the book \[Dreams from My Father\]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams-from-my-father-how-do-we/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I want to thank the Greek people publicly for their humanitarian response to the crisis of so many migrants and refugees seeking safety in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-want-to-thank-the-greek-people-publicly-for-their-humanitarian/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We had a farewell dinner for some of my senior staff, and generally everybody likes to talk about how cool I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-had-a-farewell-dinner-for-some-of-my-senior-staff-and-generally/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ It's good to get fresh legs in \[the White house\]. I think that it refreshes our democracy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-s-good-to-get-fresh-legs-in-the-white-house-i-think-that-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Believe it or not, entertainment is part of our American diplomacy, it is part of what makes us exceptional, part of what makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/believe-it-or-not-entertainment-is-part-of-our-american-diplomacy-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Explore all 3,624 Barack Obama quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More American values quotes > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) > [Most of black America is in housing projects, without jobs, living on welfare. And this is not the case in 'The Cosby Show,' because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/most-of-black-america-is-in-housing-projects-without-jobs-living-on/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [The selflessness and service of the veterans I have met and served with are the living embodiment of what America and American values mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-mcgrath/the-selflessness-and-service-of-the-veterans-i-have-met-and-served/) [Amy McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-mcgrath/) > [Americans need to educate themselves, from elementary school onward, about what their country has done abroad. And they need to play a more active…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/americans-need-to-educate-themselves-from-elementary-school-onward/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington . . . I'm asking you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-m-asking-you-to-believe-not-just-in-my-ability-to-bring-about-real/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The country we carry in our hearts is waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-country-we-carry-in-our-hearts-is-waiting/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [Where else could one find such a perfect combination of American values -- racism, militarism, capitalism -- all packaged in one 'ideal' symbol, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-morgan/where-else-could-one-find-such-a-perfect-combination-of-american/) [Robin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-morgan/) > [“Because extroversion lines up so well with American values, we introverts often deprive ourselves of what we most enjoy and thrive on. So, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/because-extroversion-lines-up-so-well-with-american-values-we/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I am an American, steeped in American values. But I know on an emotional level what it means to be of the Chinese culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-am-an-american-steeped-in-american-values-but-i-know-on-an/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [We live in a time of transition, an uneasy era which is likely to endure for the rest of this century... During this period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/we-live-in-a-time-of-transition-an-uneasy-era-which-is-likely-to/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [I think Guantanamo, has been synonymous with the staining of American values and American legal tradition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/i-think-guantanamo-has-been-synonymous-with-the-staining-of-american/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [President Bush is endangering our safety, hurting our vital interests, and undermining American values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/president-bush-is-endangering-our-safety-hurting-our-vital-interests/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [The Bush-Cheney administration had betrayed some basic American values. So there was hunger for change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/the-bush-cheney-administration-had-betrayed-some-basic-american/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [If you're a progressive, you can find lots of people who call themselves conservatives, but who agree with you on lots of things. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lakoff/if-you-re-a-progressive-you-can-find-lots-of-people-who-call/) [George Lakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lakoff/) > [I believed then, and continue to believe now, that the benefits to our security and freedom of widely available cryptography far, far outweigh the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-blaze/i-believed-then-and-continue-to-believe-now-that-the-benefits-to-our/) [Matt Blaze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-blaze/) [Browse all 132 American values quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-values/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "American values and legal traditions do not permit the indefinite detention of people beyond our borders.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barack Obama" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/american-values-and-legal-traditions-do-not-permit-the-indefinite/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American values" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/american-values-and-legal-traditions-do-not-permit-the-indefinite/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/barack-obama-17_american-values_american-values-and-legal-traditions-do_2936977.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/barack-obama-17_american-values_american-values-and-legal-traditions-do_2936977.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/barack-obama-17_american-values_american-values-and-legal-traditions-do_2936977.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“American values and legal traditions do not permit the indefinite detention of people beyond our borders.” — Barack Obama", "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": "Barack Obama", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "American values and legal traditions do...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/american-values-and-legal-traditions-do-not-permit-the-indefinite/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/american-values-and-legal-traditions-do-not-permit-the-indefinite/#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 } } ] } ```