--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our first priority should be to protect…" description: "\"Our first priority should be to protect the homeland. If we don't, a future generation might ask, 'Who lost America?'\" — Bob Beckel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fa/bob-beckel-4887_america_our-first-priority-should-be-to-protect_1354422.jpg" --- # Our first priority should be to protect the homeland. If… ![“Our first priority should be to protect the homeland. If we don't, a future generation might ask, 'Who lost America?'” quote by Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fa/bob-beckel-4887_america_our-first-priority-should-be-to-protect_1354422.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fa/bob-beckel-4887_america_our-first-priority-should-be-to-protect_1354422.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fa/bob-beckel-4887_america_our-first-priority-should-be-to-protect_1354422.jpg) > “Our first priority should be to protect the homeland. If we don't, a future generation might ask, 'Who lost America?'” [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Protecting the nation is essential; failure to do so risks future generations questioning who let America slip away. **In simple terms:** Defend the homeland to avoid future regret. Key Takeaway Secure national safety now. Themes patriotism responsibility future generations Mood serious urgent Type political reflective When to use this quote - policy planning - defense budgeting - public awareness campaigns - community preparedness Key Concepts national security civic duty legacy Questions to Reflect On - What balance should be struck between safety and freedom? - How can citizens hold leaders accountable for security? A Different Perspective Security measures can infringe on civil liberties. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Future generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future-generation/) [Generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation/) [Homeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homeland/) ## Related quotes > [How can we protect homeland security unless the government stops the invasion of illegal aliens?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-schlafly/how-can-we-protect-homeland-security-unless-the-government-stops-the/) [Phyllis Schlafly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-schlafly/) > [An evil exists that threatens every man, woman, and child of this great nation. We must take steps to ensure our domestic security and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/an-evil-exists-that-threatens-every-man-woman-and-child-of-this-great/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Our number one responsibility is to protect the homeland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/our-number-one-responsibility-is-to-protect-the-homeland/) [Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/) > [We have to be able to protect the homeland, and we have to be able to restrain evil in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-warnock/we-have-to-be-able-to-protect-the-homeland-and-we-have-to-be-able-to/) [Raphael Warnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-warnock/) > [But I warn my colleagues that we will fail in our efforts to protect the homeland if we do not take additional steps to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-warn-my-colleagues-that-we-will-fail-in-our-efforts-to-protect/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is no coincidence that our country has not been attacked since 9-11. Our initiatives to protect the homeland and aggressively take the fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wicker/it-is-no-coincidence-that-our-country-has-not-been-attacked-since-9/) [Roger Wicker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wicker/) > [We need a president who is focused on defeating every single ISIS terrorist and protecting the homeland, which should be the first priority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/we-need-a-president-who-is-focused-on-defeating-every-single-isis/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [“Where are we going, Walt Whitman? The doors close in an hour. Which way does your beard point tonight? (I touch your book and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-ginsberg/where-are-we-going-walt-whitman-the-doors-close-in-an-hour-which-way/) [Allen Ginsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-ginsberg/) > [he cut through the 21st Century Gallery, past the big plastic statues of Pluto and Mickey, animal headed gods of lost America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-reeve/he-cut-through-the-21st-century-gallery-past-the-big-plastic-statues/) [Philip Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-reeve/) > [The only reason malcontent party hacks and academics are allowed to pontificate about civil liberties from the safety of their ivory towers is because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-johnson/the-only-reason-malcontent-party-hacks-and-academics-are-allowed-to/) [Mike Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-johnson/) > [Hinkley will be a ghost town. It will be another town lost in America due to pollution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-brockovich/hinkley-will-be-a-ghost-town-it-will-be-another-town-lost-in-america/) [Erin Brockovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-brockovich/) > [I've quoted Lost in America several times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-tunney/i-ve-quoted-lost-in-america-several-times/) [Robin Tunney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-tunney/) > [I believe that we are lost here in America, but I believe we shall be found. And this belief, which mounts now to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/i-believe-that-we-are-lost-here-in-america-but-i-believe-we-shall-be/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [Six decades ago, as Mao's Communists seized power, the question in Washington was, 'Who lost China?' Now, as his capitalist descendants stand astride the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/six-decades-ago-as-mao-s-communists-seized-power-the-question-in/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [ If you were lost for America, there is nobody who could keep the army and the revolution \[going\] for six months. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-lafayette/if-you-were-lost-for-america-there-is-nobody-who-could-keep-the-army/) [Marquis de Lafayette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-lafayette/) ## More by Bob Beckel > [I do oppose repealing Obamacare, because it's working for growing numbers of previously uninsured Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/i-do-oppose-repealing-obamacare-because-it-s-working-for-growing/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [Anger in the black community towards Republicans is established and immutable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/anger-in-the-black-community-towards-republicans-is-established-and/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [The hardest-hit taxpayers in our disgraceful tax system are those folks who pack Trump's rallies, especially in hard-hit Rust Belt states like Ohio and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/the-hardest-hit-taxpayers-in-our-disgraceful-tax-system-are-those/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [Some days I feel like I'm only the fire hydrant to Westminster dog show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/some-days-i-feel-like-i-m-only-the-fire-hydrant-to-westminster-dog/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [We've come a long way from the days of Jim Crow, and yes, we elected a black president, but racism lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/we-ve-come-a-long-way-from-the-days-of-jim-crow-and-yes-we-elected-a/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [Charter schools are not a panacea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/charter-schools-are-not-a-panacea/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [Jim Crow laws stripped blacks of basic rights. Despite landmark civil rights laws, many public schools were still segregated, blacks still faced barriers to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/jim-crow-laws-stripped-blacks-of-basic-rights-despite-landmark-civil/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [Like many other Americans, I'm tired of the U.S. taxpayer paying for foreign wars, especially when the countries we defend have raked in huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/like-many-other-americans-i-m-tired-of-the-u-s-taxpayer-paying-for/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [It should be mandatory that any tax breaks go through appropriate committees and be voted on separately by both the House of Representatives and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/it-should-be-mandatory-that-any-tax-breaks-go-through-appropriate/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [Where most politicians would have abandoned a supporter like Jeremiah Wright and the community he served, Obama, while strongly criticizing him, did not throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/where-most-politicians-would-have-abandoned-a-supporter-like-jeremiah/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [I came from a dysfunctional family - very dysfunctional. And my father used to find great humor in throwing me down the stairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/i-came-from-a-dysfunctional-family-very-dysfunctional-and-my-father/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [As a former presidential campaign manager, I remember the final week of the campaign as being the longest and most important week of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/as-a-former-presidential-campaign-manager-i-remember-the-final-week/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [In the 1990s, the Democratic Party began to cozy up to their long-time enemies: Wall Street Bankers. They took their money and relaxed their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/in-the-1990s-the-democratic-party-began-to-cozy-up-to-their-long-time/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [My pop culture ended somewhere north of Elvis but not too far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/my-pop-culture-ended-somewhere-north-of-elvis-but-not-too-far/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [I have never analyzed a presidential election as much as I did the Trump-Clinton race of 2016.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/i-have-never-analyzed-a-presidential-election-as-much-as-i-did-the/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) [Explore all 104 Bob Beckel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) ## 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. 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