--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I certainly know German colleagues in the…" description: "\"I certainly know German colleagues in the US who try to be Americans, try to melt into Americanism, even before they get married and become American ci..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/bernhard-schlink-3329_american-citizens_i-certainly-know-german-colleagues-in-th_1339691.jpg" --- # I certainly know German colleagues in the US who try to be… ![“I certainly know German colleagues in the US who try to be Americans, try to melt into Americanism, even before they get married and become American citizens. But I've never tried that.” quote by Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/bernhard-schlink-3329_american-citizens_i-certainly-know-german-colleagues-in-th_1339691.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/bernhard-schlink-3329_american-citizens_i-certainly-know-german-colleagues-in-th_1339691.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/bernhard-schlink-3329_american-citizens_i-certainly-know-german-colleagues-in-th_1339691.jpg) > “I certainly know German colleagues in the US who try to be Americans, try to melt into Americanism, even before they get married and become American citizens. But I've never tried that.” [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker observes that German colleagues in the US resist assimilating fully, preferring to retain their identity rather than become “American.” **In simple terms:** They keep their German identity instead of fully assimilating. Key Takeaway Respect cultural identity. Themes identity assimilation immigration Mood thoughtful neutral Type reflective philosophical When to use this quote - working in multicultural teams - social policy debates Key Concepts cultural preservation integration challenges Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance cultural heritage with new society? - What benefits arise from maintaining distinct identities? A Different Perspective Assimilation pressure can cause loss of heritage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-citizens/) [Americanism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americanism/) [Americanism Married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americanism-married-4521765/) [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [Americans Try](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-try-2074057/) [Citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/) [Colleagues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colleagues/) [Married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/married/) [Melt Americanism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melt-americanism-4521766/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) ## Related quotes > [There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. 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Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-kaplan/) > [Whether one traces his Americanism back three centuries to the Mayflower, or three years to the steerage, is not half so important as whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/whether-one-traces-his-americanism-back-three-centuries-to-the/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [You don't know Mexico, man. You have trivialized Mexico. You are a fool about Mexico if you think that Mexico is five blocks. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/you-don-t-know-mexico-man-you-have-trivialized-mexico-you-are-a-fool/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [“Cherokee's American, Ned. It don't get more American than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-d-estleman/cherokee-s-american-ned-it-don-t-get-more-american-than-that/) [Loren D. Estleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-d-estleman/) > [Louis Brandeis started off by embracing the Theodore Roosevelt notion that hyphenated Americanism was unpatriotic. You couldn't have dual loyalties. But then he thinks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-rosen/louis-brandeis-started-off-by-embracing-the-theodore-roosevelt-notion/) [Jeffrey Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-rosen/) > [“I'm an American, our names don't mean shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-m-an-american-our-names-don-t-mean-shit/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [This American system of ours,call it Americanism,call it capitalism,call it what you will,gives each and every one of us a great opportunity if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-capone/this-american-system-of-ours-call-it-americanism-call-it-capitalism/) [Al Capone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-capone/) > [I don't see much future for the Americans ... it's a decayed country. And they have their racial problem, and the problem of social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-don-t-see-much-future-for-the-americans-it-s-a-decayed-country-and/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) ## More by Bernhard Schlink > [“Ne ispada li, onda, da je egzistencijalni umor rezultat premalog, a ne prevelikog angažovanja? Postajemo li umorni usled toga što olakšavamo sebi situaciju, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/ne-ispada-li-onda-da-je-egzistencijalni-umor-rezultat-premalog-a-ne/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [Why? Why does what was beautiful suddenly shatter in hindsight because it concealed dark truths? 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'Nothing,' he said, and put his arm around her. 'You sighed.' 'I'd like to be further along than I am.' She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/what-is-it-nothing-he-said-and-put-his-arm-around-her-you-sighed-i-d/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [“But the finger I pointed at her turned back to me. I had loved her. Not only had I loved her, I had chosen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/but-the-finger-i-pointed-at-her-turned-back-to-me-i-had-loved-her-not/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [“I wanted to pose myself both tasks - understanding and condemnation. But it was impossible to do both”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/i-wanted-to-pose-myself-both-tasks-understanding-and-condemnation-but/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [Sometimes the memory of happiness cannot stay true because it ended unhappily..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/sometimes-the-memory-of-happiness-cannot-stay-true-because-it-ended/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [“I had no one to point at. Certainly not my parents, because I had nothing to accuse them of. The zeal for letting in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/i-had-no-one-to-point-at-certainly-not-my-parents-because-i-had/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [Sometimes I had the feeling that all of us in his family were like pets to him. The dog you take for a walk,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/sometimes-i-had-the-feeling-that-all-of-us-in-his-family-were-like/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [“There are matters one simply cannot get drawn into, that one must distance oneself from, if the price is not life and limb. هناك أمور لا يمكن للواحد ببساطة أن ينخرط فيها ، يجب على الواحد ان ينحي نفسه عنها ، حتى وإن كان الثمن موته أو بتره.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/there-are-matters-one-simply-cannot-get-drawn-into-that-one-must/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [She was struggling, as she always had struggled, not to show what she could do but to hide what she couldn't do. A life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/she-was-struggling-as-she-always-had-struggled-not-to-show-what-she/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) > [As an author, you hope for a director and a cast that will make something wonderful out of your book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/as-an-author-you-hope-for-a-director-and-a-cast-that-will-make/) [Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) [Explore all 104 Bernhard Schlink quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/) ## More American citizens quotes > [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/) > [Think about it: we went into slavery pagans; we came out Christians. We went into slavery pieces of property; we came out American citizens.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/think-about-it-we-went-into-slavery-pagans-we-came-out-christians-we/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [I want to say unequivocally that while I cherish every person who comes from anywhere, who comes here legally and seeks to pursue happiness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/i-want-to-say-unequivocally-that-while-i-cherish-every-person-who/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [There's been a systematic propagandizing of American citizens for 30 years to make us forget what America is supposed to be and what our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/there-s-been-a-systematic-propagandizing-of-american-citizens-for-30/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [We have a bunch of American citizens who step up because that's what we do. 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