--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: America is stronger than any state…" description: "\"America is stronger than any state probably since the Roman Empire. But we can't do what used to be done with that kind of strength.\" — Brent Scowcroft" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/brent-scowcroft-11772_america_america-is-stronger-than-any-state-proba_1539995.png" --- # America is stronger than any state probably since the… ![“America is stronger than any state probably since the Roman Empire. But we can't do what used to be done with that kind of strength.” quote by Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/brent-scowcroft-11772_america_america-is-stronger-than-any-state-proba_1539995.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/brent-scowcroft-11772_america_america-is-stronger-than-any-state-proba_1539995.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/brent-scowcroft-11772_america_america-is-stronger-than-any-state-proba_1539995.png) > “America is stronger than any state probably since the Roman Empire. But we can't do what used to be done with that kind of strength.” [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Compares America's modern power to ancient empires, noting changed capabilities and constraints **In simple terms:** America's strength differs from past empires due to new global dynamics Key Takeaway Adapt strategy to contemporary geopolitical realities Themes power history geopolitics strategy Mood analytical cautious Type political strategic When to use this quote - military planning - diplomacy - policy formulation - international alliances Key Concepts Imperial legacy modern warfare global interdependence Questions to Reflect On - What lessons from history are truly applicable today? - How should the U.S. adjust its role in a multipolar world? A Different Perspective Historical analogies may oversimplify complex modern issues ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Empires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empires/) [Roman empire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roman-empire/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) ## Related quotes > [When we stand united we will emerge stronger as a state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tate-reeves/when-we-stand-united-we-will-emerge-stronger-as-a-state/) [Tate Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tate-reeves/) > [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Protestant churches everywhere are gravitating toward union with the Roman Catholic Church. These religious movements are speeding the fulfillment of the prophecies of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-w-armstrong/protestant-churches-everywhere-are-gravitating-toward-union-with-the/) [Herbert W. Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-w-armstrong/) > [Today, on our own turf, we face pagan ignorance about God every bit as deep as that which the early church faced in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/today-on-our-own-turf-we-face-pagan-ignorance-about-god-every-bit-as/) [J. I. 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The Roman Empire is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/the-romans-have-provided-a-lot-of-writers-with-a-model-for-various/) [Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/) > [I’ve been listening to how the Roman Empire fell and all I can say is, it didn’t fall nearly fast enough!”-Iggy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/i-ve-been-listening-to-how-the-roman-empire-fell-and-all-i-can-say-is/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [The decline of Rome was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatness. Prosperity ripened the principle of decay; the cause of the destruction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-decline-of-rome-was-the-natural-and-inevitable-effect-of/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) ## More by Brent Scowcroft > [But, if you believe we should go around the world overturning regimes to make little United States, I don't agree with that, because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/but-if-you-believe-we-should-go-around-the-world-overturning-regimes/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Saddam's ouster will not necessarily lead to the same result, since Iraq lacks democratic traditions. Democracy doesn't just consist of holding elections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/saddam-s-ouster-will-not-necessarily-lead-to-the-same-result-since/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Since the days of Peter the Great, Russians have been maybe Europeans who didn't share in the enlightenment and the reformation, or are they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/since-the-days-of-peter-the-great-russians-have-been-maybe-europeans/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [I don't think the Chinese look out at the world and want to overturn the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/i-don-t-think-the-chinese-look-out-at-the-world-and-want-to-overturn/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [A colossal event is upon us, the birth of a New World Order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/a-colossal-event-is-upon-us-the-birth-of-a-new-world-order/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [It is beyond dispute that Saddam Hussein is a menace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/it-is-beyond-dispute-that-saddam-hussein-is-a-menace/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Everybody is within reach of a television set. And so they're all politicized, and they're all stimulated, and then they have these desires, pleasures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/everybody-is-within-reach-of-a-television-set-and-so-they-re-all/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Saddam is a familiar dictatorial aggressor, with traditional goals for his aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/saddam-is-a-familiar-dictatorial-aggressor-with-traditional-goals-for/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Simply killing everyone who is already a terrorist today won't solve the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/simply-killing-everyone-who-is-already-a-terrorist-today-won-t-solve/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [After the '30s, we said, "no more Munichs." And it got us in a lot of problems. Then we said, "No more Vietnams." Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/after-the-30s-we-said-no-more-munichs-and-it-got-us-in-a-lot-of/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [If Iraq were to descend into chaos, the Europeans would feel the effects just as much as we would.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/if-iraq-were-to-descend-into-chaos-the-europeans-would-feel-the/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [The art of diplomacy is to take an opportunity and turn it into something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/the-art-of-diplomacy-is-to-take-an-opportunity-and-turn-it-into/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Democracy doesn't just consist of holding elections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/democracy-doesn-t-just-consist-of-holding-elections/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Many Sunnis, who are still stuck in the Saddam era mindset and believe Iraq belongs to them, are trying to prevent a new country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/many-sunnis-who-are-still-stuck-in-the-saddam-era-mindset-and-believe/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Much of what we know about mathematics and trade comes from the Arabs. Then came stagnation, and now they're the West's whipping boy. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/much-of-what-we-know-about-mathematics-and-trade-comes-from-the-arabs/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) [Explore all 58 Brent Scowcroft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) ## 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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