--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once upon a time there was a war...and a…" description: "\"“Once upon a time there was a war...and a young American who thought of himself as the Quiet American and the Ugly American, and who wished to be neith..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/denis-johnson-2135_time_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-war-and-a-y_2116062.png" --- # Once upon a time there was a war...and a young American… ![“Once upon a time there was a war...and a young American who thought of himself as the Quiet American and the Ugly American, and who wished to be neither, who wanted instead to be the Wise American, or the Good American, but who eventually came to witness himself as the Real American and finally as…” quote by Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/denis-johnson-2135_time_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-war-and-a-y_2116062.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/denis-johnson-2135_time_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-war-and-a-y_2116062.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/denis-johnson-2135_time_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-war-and-a-y_2116062.png) > ““Once upon a time there was a war...and a young American who thought of himself as the Quiet American and the Ugly American, and who wished to be neither, who wanted instead to be the Wise American, or the Good American, but who eventually came to witness himself as the Real American and finally as simply the Fucking American. That's me.”” [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator reflects on identity, rejecting stereotypes and embracing an authentic, flawed self. **In simple terms:** Accept your true self, beyond labels. Key Takeaway Embrace authenticity despite contradictions. Themes identity self‑discovery authenticity Mood reflective critical Type monologue confessional When to use this quote - immigration - war - personal growth - social expectations Key Concepts existentialism cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - What does being “the Real American” mean to you? - How do labels limit self‑understanding? A Different Perspective Risk of glorifying cynicism over constructive change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American Wished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-wished-4295156/) [Fucking American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fucking-american-4295157/) [Quiet American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet-american-1807848/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wise American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-american-4295155/) [Young American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-american-1124088/) ## Related quotes > [“Butt fucking the American dream so you can buy cheap T-shirts at Old Navy. Isn't life beautiful?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-kuhn/butt-fucking-the-american-dream-so-you-can-buy-cheap-t-shirts-at-old/) [Shane Kuhn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-kuhn/) > [The Quiet American is anti the people who took them into the Vietnam War.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/the-quiet-american-is-anti-the-people-who-took-them-into-the-vietnam/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [I used to get the girl; now I get the part. In 'The Quiet American' you may have noticed I got the part and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-used-to-get-the-girl-now-i-get-the-part-in-the-quiet-american-you/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [“Best in Print The Quiet American (Graham Greene) Classic novel set in the 1950s as the French empire is collapsing. The Sorrow of War…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lonely-planet/best-in-print-the-quiet-american-graham-greene-classic-novel-set-in/) [Lonely Planet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lonely-planet/) > [My time in Moscowmade a man of memade me an artistthere was a reality and a brutality of life that I think was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bernthal/my-time-in-moscowmade-a-man-of-memade-me-an-artistthere-was-a-reality/) [Jon Bernthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bernthal/) > [ Being bi-racial and being young along with being American and Canadian \[allows me to\] try and cover all the bases and expand my fan… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/being-bi-racial-and-being-young-along-with-being-american-and/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [There is no substitute for the riches gained on a lifetime basis by the young American who studies or works abroad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-baldrige/there-is-no-substitute-for-the-riches-gained-on-a-lifetime-basis-by/) [Letitia Baldrige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-baldrige/) > [It's so great to have that opportunity with so many young American players coming up now. It's just so exciting. We have to root…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serena-williams/it-s-so-great-to-have-that-opportunity-with-so-many-young-american/) [Serena Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serena-williams/) > [A youthful American voice isn't particularly challenging - I've been a young American, and they're all around me. I can walk from my house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/a-youthful-american-voice-isn-t-particularly-challenging-i-ve-been-a/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [For me, I was a young American who grew up here and tried to figure out a way to take myself from being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-marsch/for-me-i-was-a-young-american-who-grew-up-here-and-tried-to-figure/) [Jesse Marsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-marsch/) > [I don't see how a young American can vote for, well, can vote for a Democrat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-don-t-see-how-a-young-american-can-vote-for-well-can-vote-for-a/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [I stand before you tonight as a young American, a proud American, of a generation born as the Cold War receded, shaped by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-castro/i-stand-before-you-tonight-as-a-young-american-a-proud-american-of-a/) [Julian Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-castro/) > [But if the life will not be easy, it will be rich and satisfying. For every young American who participates in the Peace Corps-who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/but-if-the-life-will-not-be-easy-it-will-be-rich-and-satisfying-for/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Life for young American college graduates is a festive affair. Free of having to support their families, they mostly have gay parties on rooftops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/life-for-young-american-college-graduates-is-a-festive-affair-free-of/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [Sure, I did a lot of things in excess. But if you look at the core, the foundation of what I pursued, what red-blooded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sheen/sure-i-did-a-lot-of-things-in-excess-but-if-you-look-at-the-core-the/) [Charlie Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sheen/) ## More by Denis Johnson > [“You’ve never felt good. Your suffering protects you. Pain is the ransom you have gladly paid not to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/you-ve-never-felt-good-your-suffering-protects-you-pain-is-the-ransom/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“He had laid his head back until his scalp had contacted his spine, that far back, and opened his throat, and a sound rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/he-had-laid-his-head-back-until-his-scalp-had-contacted-his-spine/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“Everything is arranged," John Robertson told me. Thank God." I forgot to mention that we appear to have one small problem," he said. Okay..."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/everything-is-arranged-john-robertson-told-me-thank-god-i-forgot-to/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [Before this moment I'd lived as a mind. Body, heart, soul, intellect, so we care ourselves into parts. But the whole of us, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/before-this-moment-i-d-lived-as-a-mind-body-heart-soul-intellect-so/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [He got right down in the dark between heartbeats, and rested there. And then he saw that another one wasn't going to come. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/he-got-right-down-in-the-dark-between-heartbeats-and-rested-there-and/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [I’d been staying at the Holiday Inn with my girlfriend, honestly the most beautiful woman I’d even known, for three days under a phony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-d-been-staying-at-the-holiday-inn-with-my-girlfriend-honestly-the/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“All of this while I left lifted by a strange new medium, a strange element--I now tell you that I was newly buoyant in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/all-of-this-while-i-left-lifted-by-a-strange-new-medium-a-strange/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“He didn’t know what country he was in, but he was at home in the universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/he-didn-t-know-what-country-he-was-in-but-he-was-at-home-in-the/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“There's a dizzying thrill in a philosophy that can only be tested by suicide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/there-s-a-dizzying-thrill-in-a-philosophy-that-can-only-be-tested-by/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [I really enjoy writing novels. It's like the ocean. You can just build a boat and take off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-really-enjoy-writing-novels-it-s-like-the-ocean-you-can-just-build/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“Who said it? – probably Confucius – “I can’t beat a sculpture from a stone with a sledgehammer; I can’t free the soul of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/who-said-it-probably-confucius-i-can-t-beat-a-sculpture-from-a-stone/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“A bus came. I climbed aboard and sat on the plastic seat while the things of our city turned in the windows like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/a-bus-came-i-climbed-aboard-and-sat-on-the-plastic-seat-while-the/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [I knew every raindrop by its name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-knew-every-raindrop-by-its-name/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“To find the people who've became truly sane, seek among those who've managed to do without sanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/to-find-the-people-who-ve-became-truly-sane-seek-among-those-who-ve/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“eventually these encounters forced him to acknowledge the reality of fate, and the truth inherent in things of the imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/eventually-these-encounters-forced-him-to-acknowledge-the-reality-of/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) [Explore all 183 Denis Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) ## More Time quotes > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/) [Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/) > [Intel has a very complete process that I go through any time I want to sell that ensures I have no insider information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krzanich/intel-has-a-very-complete-process-that-i-go-through-any-time-i-want/) [Brian Krzanich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krzanich/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/) [John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) [Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/) > [“You put together two things that have not been put together before. And the world is changed. People may not notice at the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-things-that-have-not-been-put-together-before/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“It was about damn time something happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/it-was-about-damn-time-something-happened/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) [Browse all 215,255 Time quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Once upon a time there was a war...and a young American who thought of himself as the Quiet American and the Ugly American, and who wished to be neither, who wanted instead to be the Wise American, or the Good American, but who eventually came to witness himself as the Real American and finally as simply the Fucking American. 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