--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problem is that Americans would like…" description: "\"The problem is that Americans would like to be independent of the rest of the world ... Except the world ain't that way. Trying to be independent of th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ben-bova-26822_america_the-problem-is-that-americans-would-like_2827654.jpg" --- # The problem is that Americans would like to be independent… ![“The problem is that Americans would like to be independent of the rest of the world ... Except the world ain't that way. Trying to be independent of the rest of the world is to commit suicide.” quote by Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ben-bova-26822_america_the-problem-is-that-americans-would-like_2827654.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ben-bova-26822_america_the-problem-is-that-americans-would-like_2827654.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ba/ben-bova-26822_america_the-problem-is-that-americans-would-like_2827654.jpg) > “The problem is that Americans would like to be independent of the rest of the world ... Except the world ain't that way. Trying to be independent of the rest of the world is to commit suicide.” [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that seeking total self‑sufficiency isolates a nation and leads to its downfall. **In simple terms:** Trying to be completely independent harms a country. Key Takeaway Embrace interdependence. Themes interdependence national policy globalization Mood cautious critical Type political analytical When to use this quote - foreign policy planning - economic strategy - international alliances - national security - public discourse Key Concepts sovereignty risk management collective security Questions to Reflect On - How can a nation balance autonomy with global cooperation? - What are the risks of over‑reliance on self‑sufficiency? A Different Perspective Complete isolation is unrealistic and can cause economic and security crises. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [Commit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commit/) [Commit Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commit-suicide/) [Independent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independent/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problem Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-americans-433071/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Trying Independent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying-independent-388025/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The problem that we have is that most Americans don't even study American history, let alone Pinochet, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin and all these guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/the-problem-that-we-have-is-that-most-americans-don-t-even-study/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Nudity is a problem for Americans. It disrupts our social exchange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-fischl/nudity-is-a-problem-for-americans-it-disrupts-our-social-exchange/) [Eric Fischl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-fischl/) > [Through a huge duration of my life, someone has always picked up after me. And when you're on your own and you're trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-simpson/through-a-huge-duration-of-my-life-someone-has-always-picked-up-after/) [Jessica Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-simpson/) > [“Expect some bumps and bruises when your trying to be independent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-barbarulo/expect-some-bumps-and-bruises-when-your-trying-to-be-independent/) [Michael Barbarulo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-barbarulo/) > [“Independence is counterfeit freedom. We think if we can make all our own choices and do our own thing, we will be free. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-creeden/independence-is-counterfeit-freedom-we-think-if-we-can-make-all-our/) [Pauline Creeden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-creeden/) > [TikTok was just a way to display my personality and the inner workings, but I feel like it was hell most of the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chappell-roan/tiktok-was-just-a-way-to-display-my-personality-and-the-inner/) [Chappell Roan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chappell-roan/) > [If you have no past or no future, which, after all, is all that the present is made of, why then you may as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/if-you-have-no-past-or-no-future-which-after-all-is-all-that-the/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [Baghdad is determined to force the Mongols of our age to commit suicide at its gates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saddam-hussein/baghdad-is-determined-to-force-the-mongols-of-our-age-to-commit/) [Saddam Hussein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saddam-hussein/) > [I love you," Jake whispered. "Are you strong enough for this?" I made myself comfortable. Said over my shoulder, "Sure." "Would you tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lanyon/i-love-you-jake-whispered-are-you-strong-enough-for-this-i-made/) [Josh Lanyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lanyon/) > [It wasn't until '94 when I tried to commit suicide that I realized that it wasn't about the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanilla-ice/it-wasn-t-until-94-when-i-tried-to-commit-suicide-that-i-realized/) [Vanilla Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanilla-ice/) > [People commit suicide through weakness, not through strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-commit-suicide-through-weakness-not-through-strength/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I remained basically anonymous for almost 17 years. I, in those 17 years, I tried to commit suicide a couple of times. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norma-mccorvey/i-remained-basically-anonymous-for-almost-17-years-i-in-those-17/) [Norma McCorvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norma-mccorvey/) > [I can't decide whether to commit suicide or go bowling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-henderson/i-can-t-decide-whether-to-commit-suicide-or-go-bowling/) [Florence Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-henderson/) > [I tried to commit suicide one day. It was a very Woody Allen-type suicide. I turned on the gas and left all the windows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/i-tried-to-commit-suicide-one-day-it-was-a-very-woody-allen-type/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) ## More by Ben Bova > [ A new space race has begun, and most Americans are not even aware of it. This race is not \[about\] political prestige or military… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/a-new-space-race-has-begun-and-most-americans-are-not-even-aware-of/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [In science there is a dictum: don't add an experiment to an experiment. Don't make things unnecessarily complicated. In writing fiction, the more fantastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/in-science-there-is-a-dictum-don-t-add-an-experiment-to-an-experiment/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [Omni is not a science magazine. It is a magazine about the future...Omni was sui generis. Although there were plenty of science magazines over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/omni-is-not-a-science-magazine-it-is-a-magazine-about-the-future-omni/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [“The art of fiction has not changed much since prehistoric times. The formula for telling a powerful story has remained the same: create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/the-art-of-fiction-has-not-changed-much-since-prehistoric-times-the/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [ Up here \[in space\], you're free. Really free, for the first time in your life. All the laws and rules and prejudices they've been… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/up-here-in-space-you-re-free-really-free-for-the-first-time-in-your/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [Don't ask your readers to admire your words when you want them to believe your story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/don-t-ask-your-readers-to-admire-your-words-when-you-want-them-to/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [Red tape has killed more people than bullets...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/red-tape-has-killed-more-people-than-bullets/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [I think it's perfectly OK to exploit the moon. Largely for two reasons: there's no life there, and it is close enough and rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/i-think-it-s-perfectly-ok-to-exploit-the-moon-largely-for-two-reasons/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [“A fanatic who is willing to die for his cause thinks nothing of killing you for his cause.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/a-fanatic-who-is-willing-to-die-for-his-cause-thinks-nothing-of/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [As long as we're tied to Middle Eastern oil we're tied to Middle Eastern politics. We're hostages to the terrorists and nutcases who want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/as-long-as-we-re-tied-to-middle-eastern-oil-we-re-tied-to-middle/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [“When we do this thing, we admit failure. We admit fear—yes, terror. We are terrified of a new idea, a new scientific discovery. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/when-we-do-this-thing-we-admit-failure-we-admit-fear-yes-terror-we/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [The Old Ones knew that life is not rare, but precious; not fragile, but vulnerable. Life is as deep as the seas in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/the-old-ones-knew-that-life-is-not-rare-but-precious-not-fragile-but/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [When I started understanding how science works, it occurred to me that there just is no evidence that there is a God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/when-i-started-understanding-how-science-works-it-occurred-to-me-that/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [“My first sight of the fabled warrior was a surprise. He was not a mighty-thewed giant, like Ajax. His body was not broad and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/my-first-sight-of-the-fabled-warrior-was-a-surprise-he-was-not-a/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [My first published novel was written for teenagers, and there were rules laid down by the publisher: no sex, no smoking, no swearing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/my-first-published-novel-was-written-for-teenagers-and-there-were/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) [Explore all 21 Ben Bova quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) ## 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": "The problem is that Americans would like to be independent of the rest of the world ... Except the world ain't that way. 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