---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let us learn from the lessons of…"
description: "\"Let us learn from the lessons of September 11 and not wait for a major strike before we act. We must work together - Democrats and Republicans, Congres..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b53/dan-coats-25119_government_let-us-learn-from-the-lessons-of-septemb_3047000.png"
---

#  Let us learn from the lessons of September 11 and not wait…

![“Let us learn from the lessons of September 11 and not wait for a major strike before we act. We must work together - Democrats and Republicans, Congress and the White House, government and the private sector - to make our country a safer and more prosperous place.” quote by Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b53/dan-coats-25119_government_let-us-learn-from-the-lessons-of-septemb_3047000.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b53/dan-coats-25119_government_let-us-learn-from-the-lessons-of-septemb_3047000.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b53/dan-coats-25119_government_let-us-learn-from-the-lessons-of-septemb_3047000.png)

> “Let us learn from the lessons of September 11 and not wait for a major strike before we act. We must work together - Democrats and Republicans, Congress and the White House, government and the private sector - to make our country a safer and more prosperous place.”

[Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/)

## 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 urges proactive, bipartisan cooperation on security and prosperity, learning from past crises before larger threats emerge.

**In simple terms:** Act early together to improve safety and wealth.

Key Takeaway

Collaborate now for a safer, richer nation.

Themes

security cooperation bipartisanship prosperity policy

Mood

concerned optimistic determined

Type

political policy motivational

When to use this quote

- government
- private sector
- legislators
- executives
- citizens

Key Concepts

public safety national security economic growth crisis management

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we sustain bipartisan momentum after a crisis?
- What incentives encourage private sector involvement?

A Different Perspective

Implementation may be hindered by political rivalry and bureaucratic inertia.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [White house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-house/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-together/)

## Related quotes

> [It's important that the United States not forget the lessons of September the 11th, 2001. I assure you, I'm not going to forget them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/it-s-important-that-the-united-states-not-forget-the-lessons-of/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [I worry that we risk losing the hard-won gains that have made America a safer and more prosperous place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sessions/i-worry-that-we-risk-losing-the-hard-won-gains-that-have-made-america/)

[Jeff Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sessions/)

> [A world free of nuclear weapons will be safer and more prosperous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ban-ki-moon/a-world-free-of-nuclear-weapons-will-be-safer-and-more-prosperous/)

[Ban Ki-moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ban-ki-moon/)

> [The conservative Republican governors tend to be more oriented toward trying to work with Democrats and getting things done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/the-conservative-republican-governors-tend-to-be-more-oriented-toward/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [When we didn't succeed at healthcare reform back in 1993, 1994, I went to work with Democrats and Republicans and we created the Children's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/when-we-didn-t-succeed-at-healthcare-reform-back-in-1993-1994-i-went/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [I'm happy to work with Democrats. After all, they have to represent their districts just as I have to represent mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-valadao/i-m-happy-to-work-with-democrats-after-all-they-have-to-represent/)

David Valadao

> [I've done work for both Democrats and Republicans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/i-ve-done-work-for-both-democrats-and-republicans/)

[Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/)

> [What I'd like to do is be able to work with Democrats to reform current entitlement programs for future generations, grandfathering all the grandparents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-hensarling/what-i-d-like-to-do-is-be-able-to-work-with-democrats-to-reform/)

[Jeb Hensarling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-hensarling/)

> [I'll be reaching across the aisle to find opportunities to work with Democrats on the issues that desperately need to be addressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-tillis/i-ll-be-reaching-across-the-aisle-to-find-opportunities-to-work-with/)

[Thom Tillis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-tillis/)

> [Many Virginia Republicans would rather work with Democrats to assist the Kaine-Clinton-McAuliffe agenda than work with a conservative like me to block Obamacare's failed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-stewart/many-virginia-republicans-would-rather-work-with-democrats-to-assist/)

[Corey Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-stewart/)

> [Make no mistake: I will work with both Democrats and Republicans to cut wasteful spending and reduce our debt in a balanced, responsible way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-mclane-kuster/make-no-mistake-i-will-work-with-both-democrats-and-republicans-to/)

[Ann McLane Kuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-mclane-kuster/)

> [ \[Donald\] Trump's campaign, the Republican National Committee and state parties employ just 1,409 staffers in 16 states. So, nearly for the one, democratic advantage… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/donald-trump-s-campaign-the-republican-national-committee-and-state/)

[Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/)

> [I think that we have to do everything we can to work together, Democrats and Republicans, and then if we go the initiative route…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/i-think-that-we-have-to-do-everything-we-can-to-work-together/)

[Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/)

> [Every Donald Trump person that I've talked to - everyone from every walk of life - has said pretty much the same thing. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/every-donald-trump-person-that-i-ve-talked-to-everyone-from-every/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [Mr. Speaker, on September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked, and Britain stood with us. This was not only an attack against America,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vito-fossella/mr-speaker-on-september-11-2001-the-united-states-was-attacked-and/)

[Vito Fossella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vito-fossella/)

## More by Dan Coats

> [It's time to acknowledge that more government and higher taxes is not the answer to our problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/it-s-time-to-acknowledge-that-more-government-and-higher-taxes-is-not/)

[Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/)

> [Habit is the daily battleground of character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/habit-is-the-daily-battleground-of-character/)

[Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/)

> [During a time of surplus, a time of peace before 2001, it was much easier to try and find middle ground. We were running…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/during-a-time-of-surplus-a-time-of-peace-before-2001-it-was-much/)

[Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/)

> [Every president inherits difficult problems. George W. Bush inherited eight years of a failed foreign policy and did nothing about the growing threat of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/every-president-inherits-difficult-problems-george-w-bush-inherited/)

[Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/)

> [Russia's assertiveness in global affairs is something I look upon with great concern, which we need to address with eyes wide open and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/russia-s-assertiveness-in-global-affairs-is-something-i-look-upon/)

[Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/)

> [As we've learned in 1941, national emergencies can create strange bedfellows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/as-we-ve-learned-in-1941-national-emergencies-can-create-strange/)

[Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/)

> [Today, we face another major potential attack on our country. This attack is not a hijacked plane or bomb, although that remains a threat;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/today-we-face-another-major-potential-attack-on-our-country-this/)

[Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/)

> [Russia has a long history of propaganda and trying to influence various nation's cultures and elections. It's happening. They seem to have stepped up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/russia-has-a-long-history-of-propaganda-and-trying-to-influence/)

[Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/)

> [We can't pick and choose when to adhere to the Constitution and when to cast it aside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/we-can-t-pick-and-choose-when-to-adhere-to-the-constitution-and-when/)

[Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/)

> [The eyes of the world are fixed on the U.S. to see if we have the political courage and moral sense to solve our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/the-eyes-of-the-world-are-fixed-on-the-u-s-to-see-if-we-have-the/)

[Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/)

> [I'm not a big fan of Putin. I'm not a big fan of Russia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/i-m-not-a-big-fan-of-putin-i-m-not-a-big-fan-of-russia/)

[Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/)

> [It is not only our duty but our moral obligation to break from the oppression of debt. We must rise above the political considerations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/it-is-not-only-our-duty-but-our-moral-obligation-to-break-from-the/)

[Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/)

> [Everybody has some responsibility. The point is, how are we going to fix it? And you don't fix it simply by blaming the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/everybody-has-some-responsibility-the-point-is-how-are-we-going-to/)

[Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/)

> [Character cannot be summoned at the moment of crisis if it has been squandered by years of compromise and rationalization. The only testing ground…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/character-cannot-be-summoned-at-the-moment-of-crisis-if-it-has-been/)

[Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/)

> [A major attack on our cyber systems could shut down our critical infrastructure - financial systems, communications systems, electric grids, power plants, water treatment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/a-major-attack-on-our-cyber-systems-could-shut-down-our-critical/)

[Dan Coats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/)

[Explore all 23 Dan Coats quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/)

## More Government quotes

> [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/)

[Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/)

> [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/)

[Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/)

> [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/)

[Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/)

> [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/)

[Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/)

> [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [Louisiana's spicy, colorful politics have saddled our state with a reputation for tolerating lax ethical standards in government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy/louisiana-s-spicy-colorful-politics-have-saddled-our-state-with-a/)

[John Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

Greg Perry

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [He is almost a statesman. He lies well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/he-is-almost-a-statesman-he-lies-well/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

> [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/)

[Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/)

> [We can't have a government that will collapse in three months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-varadkar/we-can-t-have-a-government-that-will-collapse-in-three-months/)

[Leo Varadkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-varadkar/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

[Browse all 21,248 Government quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Let us learn from the lessons of September 11 and not wait for a major strike before we act. We must work together - Democrats and Republicans, Congress and the White House, government and the private sector - to make our country a safer and more prosperous place.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dan Coats"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/let-us-learn-from-the-lessons-of-september-11-and-not-wait-for-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Government"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/let-us-learn-from-the-lessons-of-september-11-and-not-wait-for-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b53/dan-coats-25119_government_let-us-learn-from-the-lessons-of-septemb_3047000.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b53/dan-coats-25119_government_let-us-learn-from-the-lessons-of-septemb_3047000.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b53/dan-coats-25119_government_let-us-learn-from-the-lessons-of-septemb_3047000.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Let us learn from the lessons of September 11 and not wait for a major strike before we act. We must work…” — Dan Coats",
                "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": "Dan Coats",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-coats/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Let us learn from the lessons...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/let-us-learn-from-the-lessons-of-september-11-and-not-wait-for-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-coats/let-us-learn-from-the-lessons-of-september-11-and-not-wait-for-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
