--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The American Dream - I believe in that…" description: "\"The American Dream - I believe in that cliche because I know what having nothing feels like.\" — Benji Madden" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bf/benji-madden-4055_american_the-american-dream-i-believe-in-that-cli_2082642.jpg" --- # The American Dream - I believe in that cliche because I… ![“The American Dream - I believe in that cliche because I know what having nothing feels like.” quote by Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bf/benji-madden-4055_american_the-american-dream-i-believe-in-that-cli_2082642.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bf/benji-madden-4055_american_the-american-dream-i-believe-in-that-cli_2082642.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bf/benji-madden-4055_american_the-american-dream-i-believe-in-that-cli_2082642.jpg) > “The American Dream - I believe in that cliche because I know what having nothing feels like.” [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Personal hardship fuels belief in the American Dream as a path from poverty to success. **In simple terms:** Hardship fuels belief in the Dream. Key Takeaway Pursue opportunities despite lack. Themes dream hardship success Mood determined optimistic Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - Career building - financial planning - education pursuit Key Concepts American Dream social mobility Questions to Reflect On - How does your past shape your goals? - What steps can you take to achieve the Dream? A Different Perspective Systemic barriers may limit upward mobility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-dream/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) ## Related quotes > [“Sometimes, having nothing feels like having everything, and sometimes, having everything feels like having nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanshi-ranawat/sometimes-having-nothing-feels-like-having-everything-and-sometimes/) Priyanshi Ranawat > [“To know how to avoid the cliche, to know what tradition you are pushing forward, begins with knowing what that tradition is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-snyder/to-know-how-to-avoid-the-cliche-to-know-what-tradition-you-are/) Blake Snyder > [If you've been a pretty woman and always pursued by lovers, losing that and not having that - it feels like a great loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/if-you-ve-been-a-pretty-woman-and-always-pursued-by-lovers-losing/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [If there is still an American dream, reading is one of the bootstraps by which we can all pull ourselves up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/if-there-is-still-an-american-dream-reading-is-one-of-the-bootstraps/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [A basic element of the American dream is equal access to education as the lubricant of social and economic mobility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/a-basic-element-of-the-american-dream-is-equal-access-to-education-as/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [I travelled through the night in a bus with the Kentucky Tea Party en route to a massive rally in Washington. For the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-neil/i-travelled-through-the-night-in-a-bus-with-the-kentucky-tea-party-en/) [Andrew Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-neil/) > [Whether we are working to pay off student loans, credit card debt, paying for elder or childcare, or even trying to save for retirement,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-c-moore/whether-we-are-working-to-pay-off-student-loans-credit-card-debt/) [Adrienne C. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-c-moore/) > [I think most voters want to believe and do believe in the American dream. I think when they see examples of that being true,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-gallego/i-think-most-voters-want-to-believe-and-do-believe-in-the-american/) [Ruben Gallego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-gallego/) > [Still humping the American Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/still-humping-the-american-dream/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Like you see in the fairy tales, that's how it planned out in my head. Kids, little white picket fence, the American dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquise-goodwin/like-you-see-in-the-fairy-tales-that-s-how-it-planned-out-in-my-head/) [Marquise Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquise-goodwin/) > [Americans can accept that the American Dream will not work out for them; what has been heartbreaking for so many is the sense that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-d-snyder/americans-can-accept-that-the-american-dream-will-not-work-out-for/) [Timothy D. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-d-snyder/) > [So many Korean Americans like me came to this country with the hope of achieving their own American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-steel/so-many-korean-americans-like-me-came-to-this-country-with-the-hope/) [Michelle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-steel/) > [By disgracing and degrading the presidency of the United States, by fleeing the White House like a diseased cur, Richard Nixon broke the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/by-disgracing-and-degrading-the-presidency-of-the-united-states-by/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [We need to remain a nation that doesn't just welcome but that celebrates legal immigrants who come here seeking to pursue the American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/we-need-to-remain-a-nation-that-doesn-t-just-welcome-but-that/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [I want people to know where I come from. I think I have come really far from that, and I did it on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aj-lee/i-want-people-to-know-where-i-come-from-i-think-i-have-come-really/) [AJ Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aj-lee/) ## More by Benji Madden > [Start enjoying the things you like about yourself, and if there are things you want to change, either get to work on it or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/start-enjoying-the-things-you-like-about-yourself-and-if-there-are/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [One of the most harmful things in the music industry is 'record-by-committee,' where 10 people from the label gather around, and they make you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/one-of-the-most-harmful-things-in-the-music-industry-is-record-by/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [All the best songs are, I think, the easiest write because they just come out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/all-the-best-songs-are-i-think-the-easiest-write-because-they-just/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [There's this wave of new pop-punk bands that has come out that's bigger than ever. I'm really glad that we got to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/there-s-this-wave-of-new-pop-punk-bands-that-has-come-out-that-s/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [Every time we go to New Zealand, it gets harder to leave. Everyone's always treated us like we're at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/every-time-we-go-to-new-zealand-it-gets-harder-to-leave-everyone-s/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [We were all 16 and 17. When you're that age, you're just daydreaming all day. We had bands we loved - Green Day, Weezer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/we-were-all-16-and-17-when-you-re-that-age-you-re-just-daydreaming/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [I've done plenty of phoners for Joel when he's been too busy. You'll never know. Our voices sound so similar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/i-ve-done-plenty-of-phoners-for-joel-when-he-s-been-too-busy-you-ll/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [When you're making an album, it's kind of like having a baby. You have to really put everything into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/when-you-re-making-an-album-it-s-kind-of-like-having-a-baby-you-have/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [The whole time you're bouncing ideas off each other, you continue to try and push the songs as far as you can take them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/the-whole-time-you-re-bouncing-ideas-off-each-other-you-continue-to/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [I didn't fly on a plane until I was 19.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/i-didn-t-fly-on-a-plane-until-i-was-19/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [I prefer a good review. A bad review that dismisses us... I take it with a grain of salt. I go, 'Okay, they didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/i-prefer-a-good-review-a-bad-review-that-dismisses-us-i-take-it-with/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [As hopeful as I am, there are some times in my life when I get to low points. Luckily, I still have music to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/as-hopeful-as-i-am-there-are-some-times-in-my-life-when-i-get-to-low/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [I think Good Charlotte has definitely always been for the underdogs and the misfits. We haven't ever really been the critics' darlings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/i-think-good-charlotte-has-definitely-always-been-for-the-underdogs/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [I really love 'Cold Song.' If anyone really listens to that song and thinks about their life, there's a lot of good material deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/i-really-love-cold-song-if-anyone-really-listens-to-that-song-and/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [Australian bands are so self-deprecating - then they go on stage and blow every other band off the stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/australian-bands-are-so-self-deprecating-then-they-go-on-stage-and/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) [Explore all 117 Benji Madden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [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/) Browse all 7,717 American quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The American Dream - I believe in that cliche because I know what having nothing feels like.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Benji Madden" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/the-american-dream-i-believe-in-that-cliche-because-i-know-what/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/the-american-dream-i-believe-in-that-cliche-because-i-know-what/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bf/benji-madden-4055_american_the-american-dream-i-believe-in-that-cli_2082642.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bf/benji-madden-4055_american_the-american-dream-i-believe-in-that-cli_2082642.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bf/benji-madden-4055_american_the-american-dream-i-believe-in-that-cli_2082642.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The American Dream - I believe in that cliche because I know what having nothing feels like.” — Benji Madden", "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": "Benji Madden", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The American Dream - I believe...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/the-american-dream-i-believe-in-that-cliche-because-i-know-what/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/the-american-dream-i-believe-in-that-cliche-because-i-know-what/#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 } } ] } ```