--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Americans should tremble before…" description: "\"Americans should tremble before suggesting that any fellow citizen lacks patriotism.\" — Barack Obama" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/barack-obama-17_citizens_americans-should-tremble-before-suggesti_2655872.jpg" --- # Americans should tremble before suggesting that any fellow… ![“Americans should tremble before suggesting that any fellow citizen lacks patriotism.” quote by Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/barack-obama-17_citizens_americans-should-tremble-before-suggesti_2655872.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/barack-obama-17_citizens_americans-should-tremble-before-suggesti_2655872.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/barack-obama-17_citizens_americans-should-tremble-before-suggesti_2655872.jpg) > “Americans should tremble before suggesting that any fellow citizen lacks patriotism.” [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. Patriotism should not be weaponized against fellow citizens. **In simple terms:** Patriotism shouldn't divide. Key Takeaway Promote inclusive patriotism. Themes civic unity patriotism inclusion Mood hopeful inspirational Type political social When to use this quote - public discourse - community building - education Key Concepts political science ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can we define patriotism without alienating others? - What actions foster inclusive national pride? A Different Perspective Patriotism can be misused for exclusion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Americans Tremble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-tremble-2386693/) [Citizen Lacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizen-lacks-2386694/) [Citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/) [Fellows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fellows/) [Lacks Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lacks-patriotism-2386692/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Suggesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suggesting/) [Tremble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tremble/) ## Related quotes > [Let's not play games. I was suggesting - you're absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/let-s-not-play-games-i-was-suggesting-you-re-absolutely-right-that/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I love listening to these guys give us lectures about debt and deficits. I inherited a trillion-dollar deficit. ... This notion that somehow we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-love-listening-to-these-guys-give-us-lectures-about-debt-and/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We reaffirm that on days like this, there are no Republicans or Democrats. We are Americans, united in concern for our fellow citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-reaffirm-that-on-days-like-this-there-are-no-republicans-or/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The Greek people have gone through some very difficult times and there's still a hard road ahead, but despite those hardships, Greece has continued…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-greek-people-have-gone-through-some-very-difficult-times-and/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We may never understand what leads anybody to terrorize their fellow human beings. Such violence, such evil is senseless. It's beyond reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-may-never-understand-what-leads-anybody-to-terrorize-their-fellow/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The feeble tremble before opinion, the foolish defy it, the wise judge it, the skillful direct it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-feeble-tremble-before-opinion-the-foolish-defy-it-the-wise-judge/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Find someone who will tremble for your touch, someone whose fingers are a poem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/find-someone-who-will-tremble-for-your-touch-someone-whose-fingers/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [Back in my rummy days, I would tremble and shake for hours upon arising. It was the only exercise I got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/back-in-my-rummy-days-i-would-tremble-and-shake-for-hours-upon/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [I pant, I sink, I tremble, I expire!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/i-pant-i-sink-i-tremble-i-expire/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [Does not a man physically tremble under the mere look of a wild beast or fellow-man that is stronger than himself? Does not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-welsh-carlyle/does-not-a-man-physically-tremble-under-the-mere-look-of-a-wild-beast/) [Jane Welsh Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-welsh-carlyle/) > [If God is just, I tremble for my country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/if-god-is-just-i-tremble-for-my-country/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I can also tell in whose hands I am. Do these hands tremble? There can be no doubt: these are the hands of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-flores-magon/i-can-also-tell-in-whose-hands-i-am-do-these-hands-tremble-there-can/) [Ricardo Flores Magon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-flores-magon/) > [I have not the particular shining bauble or feather in my cap for crowds to gaze at or kneel to, but I have power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-cromwell/i-have-not-the-particular-shining-bauble-or-feather-in-my-cap-for/) [Oliver Cromwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-cromwell/) > [Men are always invoking justice; yet it is justice which should make them tremble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/men-are-always-invoking-justice-yet-it-is-justice-which-should-make/) [Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/) > [“Once upon a time, there was a man as great as the gods… But even the great can tremble with fear. Even the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-e-pearson/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-man-as-great-as-the-gods-but-even-the/) [Mary E. Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-e-pearson/) ## 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 Citizens quotes > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [I will be a model prisoner, as I have been a model citizen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-edwards/i-will-be-a-model-prisoner-as-i-have-been-a-model-citizen/) [Edwin Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-edwards/) > [The language we share is at the core of our identity as citizens, and our ticket to full participation in American political life. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/the-language-we-share-is-at-the-core-of-our-identity-as-citizens-and/) [S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [“The police ultimately pay the price for poor customer service when citizens become fearful of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-police-ultimately-pay-the-price-for-poor-customer-service-when/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Worship isn't destructive, Martin. I know that. I don't. I only know it's the core of his life. What else has he got? He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shaffer/worship-isn-t-destructive-martin-i-know-that-i-don-t-i-only-know-it-s/) [Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/) > [No greater victory can be won by citizens or soldiers than to transform temporary foes into permanent friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jennings-bryan/no-greater-victory-can-be-won-by-citizens-or-soldiers-than-to/) [William Jennings Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jennings-bryan/) > [Let us at all times remember that all American citizens are brothers of a common country, and should dwell together in bonds of fraternal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/let-us-at-all-times-remember-that-all-american-citizens-are-brothers/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [A free society depends upon a high degree of mutual trust. The public will not give that trust to officials who are not seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-cox/a-free-society-depends-upon-a-high-degree-of-mutual-trust-the-public/) [Archibald Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-cox/) > [My dreams were always small and puny. All I ever needed was a little house with a little picket fence by the sea. Little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imelda-marcos/my-dreams-were-always-small-and-puny-all-i-ever-needed-was-a-little/) [Imelda Marcos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imelda-marcos/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [I think most of us are raised with preconceived notions of the choices we're supposed to make. 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