--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are a people trying not only to solve…" description: "\"We are a people trying not only to solve the problems of the present: unemployment, inflation... but we are attempting on a larger scale to fulfill the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/barbara-jordan-7656_america_we-are-a-people-trying-not-only-to-solve_330318.jpg" --- # We are a people trying not only to solve the problems of… ![“We are a people trying not only to solve the problems of the present: unemployment, inflation... but we are attempting on a larger scale to fulfill the promise of America.” quote by Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/barbara-jordan-7656_america_we-are-a-people-trying-not-only-to-solve_330318.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/barbara-jordan-7656_america_we-are-a-people-trying-not-only-to-solve_330318.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/barbara-jordan-7656_america_we-are-a-people-trying-not-only-to-solve_330318.jpg) > “We are a people trying not only to solve the problems of the present: unemployment, inflation... but we are attempting on a larger scale to fulfill the promise of America.” [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. America must address current economic crises while also pursuing its broader ideals of opportunity and justice. **In simple terms:** Solve today’s problems while fulfilling America’s promise. Key Takeaway Balance immediate relief with long‑term vision. Themes politics economics justice vision Mood reflective optimistic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - legislative debates - community organizing - education reform Key Concepts social contract policy reform national identity Questions to Reflect On - What policies best bridge short‑term needs and long‑term goals? - How can citizens stay engaged amid challenges? A Different Perspective Political division can stall progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Attempting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attempting/) [Inflation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inflation/) [Inflation Attempting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inflation-attempting-3092917/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-trying/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [Promise America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise-america-621617/) [Solve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solve/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Unemployment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unemployment/) ## Related quotes > [Rising unemployment and the recession have been the price that we have had to pay to get inflation down. That price is well worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lamont/rising-unemployment-and-the-recession-have-been-the-price-that-we/) [Norman Lamont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lamont/) > [In most Western economies, the general relationship is not in fact between the rate of inflation and the level of unemployment, but between the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ormerod/in-most-western-economies-the-general-relationship-is-not-in-fact/) [Paul Ormerod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ormerod/) > [Thanksgiving. It proved you had survived another year with its wars, inflation, unemployment, smog, presidents. It was a grand neurotic gathering of clans: loud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/thanksgiving-it-proved-you-had-survived-another-year-with-its-wars/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [We used to think that you could spend your way out of a recession and increase employment by cutting taxes and boosting government spending.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-callaghan/we-used-to-think-that-you-could-spend-your-way-out-of-a-recession-and/) [James Callaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-callaghan/) > [We don't have a major problem right now in our country, and life is normal. Things like unemployment, which the youth are suffering from,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akbar-hashemi-rafsanjani/we-don-t-have-a-major-problem-right-now-in-our-country-and-life-is/) [Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akbar-hashemi-rafsanjani/) > [With QE3, we are essentially being bought out with our own money...and unemployment is being used to facilitate this process in a very clever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-austin-fitts/with-qe3-we-are-essentially-being-bought-out-with-our-own-money-and/) [Catherine Austin Fitts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-austin-fitts/) > [To try to cure unemployment by inflation rather than by adjustment of specific wage-rates is like trying to adjust the piano to the stool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/to-try-to-cure-unemployment-by-inflation-rather-than-by-adjustment-of/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [If you continue to use monetary policy to attempt to promote full employment the result would be that you would have higher inflation, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/if-you-continue-to-use-monetary-policy-to-attempt-to-promote-full/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [Currently a level of unemployment of 7% or more seems to be required to keep inflation from accelerating, a level quite unacceptable as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-vickrey/currently-a-level-of-unemployment-of-7-or-more-seems-to-be-required/) [William Vickrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-vickrey/) > [Every economist knows that minimum wages either do nothing or cause inflation and unemployment. That's not a statement, it's a definition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/every-economist-knows-that-minimum-wages-either-do-nothing-or-cause/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [Inflation is the parent of unemployment and the unseen robber of those who have saved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/inflation-is-the-parent-of-unemployment-and-the-unseen-robber-of/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/our-government-should-work-for-us-not-against-us-it-should-help-us/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [More young people are volunteering than ever before. More people are including service to others on their busy lives' to do list. The promise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/more-young-people-are-volunteering-than-ever-before-more-people-are/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [Our goal is to reaffirm that government by the people, speaking through their elected representatives, is the best way to keep us free and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/our-goal-is-to-reaffirm-that-government-by-the-people-speaking/) [Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/) > [My grandparents were patriots who had to be urgent about the promise of America for their eleven children. The promise that if they worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laphonza-butler/my-grandparents-were-patriots-who-had-to-be-urgent-about-the-promise/) [Laphonza Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laphonza-butler/) ## More by Barbara Jordan > [We are a party of innovation. We do not reject our traditions, but we are willing to adapt to changing circumstances, when change we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/we-are-a-party-of-innovation-we-do-not-reject-our-traditions-but-we/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [We believe that the people are the source of all governmental power; that the authority of the people is to be extended, not restricted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/we-believe-that-the-people-are-the-source-of-all-governmental-power/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [If you had to work in the environment of Washington, D.C., as I do, and watch those men who are so imprisoned and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/if-you-had-to-work-in-the-environment-of-washington-d-c-as-i-do-and/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [If youre going to play the game properly, youd better know every rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/if-youre-going-to-play-the-game-properly-youd-better-know-every-rule/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [All my growth and development led me to believe that if you really do the right thing, and if you play by the rules,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/all-my-growth-and-development-led-me-to-believe-that-if-you-really-do/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [For all of its uncertainty, we cannot flee the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/for-all-of-its-uncertainty-we-cannot-flee-the-future/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total, and I am not going to sit here and be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/my-faith-in-the-constitution-is-whole-it-is-complete-it-is-total-and/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [...for the system to be credible, people actually have to be deported at the end of the process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/for-the-system-to-be-credible-people-actually-have-to-be-deported-at/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [I have faith in young people because I know the strongest emotions which prevail are those of love and caring and belief and tolerance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/i-have-faith-in-young-people-because-i-know-the-strongest-emotions/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [One thing is very clear: Illegal immigrants are not entitled to benefits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/one-thing-is-very-clear-illegal-immigrants-are-not-entitled-to/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [If we promise as public officials, we must deliver. If we as public officials propose, we must produce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/if-we-promise-as-public-officials-we-must-deliver-if-we-as-public/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [I get from the soil and spirit of Texas the feeling that I, as an individual, can accomplish whatever I want to, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/i-get-from-the-soil-and-spirit-of-texas-the-feeling-that-i-as-an/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [We are a people in a quandary about the present. We are a people in search of our future. We are a people in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/we-are-a-people-in-a-quandary-about-the-present-we-are-a-people-in/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [We have a positive vision of the future founded on the belief that the gap between the promise and reality of America can one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/we-have-a-positive-vision-of-the-future-founded-on-the-belief-that/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [We, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/we-as-human-beings-must-be-willing-to-accept-people-who-are-different/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) [Explore all 89 Barbara Jordan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [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/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are a people trying not only to solve the problems of the present: unemployment, inflation... but we are attempting on a larger scale to fulfill the promise of America.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barbara Jordan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/we-are-a-people-trying-not-only-to-solve-the-problems-of-the-present/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/we-are-a-people-trying-not-only-to-solve-the-problems-of-the-present/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/barbara-jordan-7656_america_we-are-a-people-trying-not-only-to-solve_330318.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/barbara-jordan-7656_america_we-are-a-people-trying-not-only-to-solve_330318.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/barbara-jordan-7656_america_we-are-a-people-trying-not-only-to-solve_330318.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are a people trying not only to solve the problems of the present: unemployment, inflation... but we are…” — Barbara Jordan", "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": "Barbara Jordan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We are a people trying not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/we-are-a-people-trying-not-only-to-solve-the-problems-of-the-present/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/we-are-a-people-trying-not-only-to-solve-the-problems-of-the-present/#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 } } ] } ```