--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The American people frankly have been…" description: "\"The American people frankly have been, over many, many years - to be blunt - fat, dumb and happy. If they want their children to compete with children ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4a/eli-broad-6856_american_the-american-people-frankly-have-been-ov_795093.jpg" --- # The American people frankly have been, over many, many… ![“The American people frankly have been, over many, many years - to be blunt - fat, dumb and happy. If they want their children to compete with children in India, China or Korea, they better get them a far better education.” quote by Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4a/eli-broad-6856_american_the-american-people-frankly-have-been-ov_795093.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4a/eli-broad-6856_american_the-american-people-frankly-have-been-ov_795093.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4a/eli-broad-6856_american_the-american-people-frankly-have-been-ov_795093.jpg) > “The American people frankly have been, over many, many years - to be blunt - fat, dumb and happy. If they want their children to compete with children in India, China or Korea, they better get them a far better education.” [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) ## 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 criticizes national education quality, urging reforms to compete globally. **In simple terms:** America’s education is lacking; need better schooling. Key Takeaway Invest in higher‑quality education now. Themes education competitiveness policy globalization Mood concerned urgent critical Type political social educational When to use this quote - school curriculum reform - teacher training - parental involvement - government policy Key Concepts human capital learning outcomes economic development Questions to Reflect On - How can we raise standards without widening inequality? - What role should private sector play? A Different Perspective Improving education requires systemic change, not just rhetoric. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [American people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) [Been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/) [Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better/) [Better Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-education/) [Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blunt/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Compete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compete/) [Compete Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compete-children-418828/) [Dumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dumb/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Far](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/far/) [Fat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fat/) [Fat Dumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fat-dumb-416290/) [Frankly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frankly/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy/) [India](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/india/) [Korea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/korea/) [Many](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/many/) [Over](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/over/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-children/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [People from my sort of background needed grammar schools to compete with children from privileged homes like Shirley Williams and Anthony Wedgwood Benn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/people-from-my-sort-of-background-needed-grammar-schools-to-compete/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [We must educate and train our children to compete and succeed in the 21st century. Our kids are not going to grow up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/we-must-educate-and-train-our-children-to-compete-and-succeed-in-the/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [“A life worth living, and work worth doing - that is what I want for children (and all people), not just, or not even,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-holt/a-life-worth-living-and-work-worth-doing-that-is-what-i-want-for/) [John Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-holt/) > [Your mama is so fat and dumb she walked to the traffic light, saw a sign that said No U Turn and she said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-mama-is-so-fat-and-dumb-she-walked-to-the-traffic-light-saw-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As different as we all are, there’s one thing most young women have in common: We’re all brought up to feel like there’s something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/as-different-as-we-all-are-there-s-one-thing-most-young-women-have-in/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [“I mean, they look so stupid!” “They don’t!” said Lian, instantly angry. “How would you look gray, bald, a hundred pounds heavier, and naked?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-m-hoover/i-mean-they-look-so-stupid-they-don-t-said-lian-instantly-angry-how/) [H. M. Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-m-hoover/) > [The perception of fat people in America is that they're fat, therefore they're dumb, they're lazy, and they must stink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralphie-may/the-perception-of-fat-people-in-america-is-that-they-re-fat-therefore/) [Ralphie May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralphie-may/) > [It's a very weird cultural perception that if you're fat you're dumb, that you're lazy or a loser. Clearly, those are the preconditions for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/it-s-a-very-weird-cultural-perception-that-if-you-re-fat-you-re-dumb/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [So you're probably looking at this and making fun of my outfit, right? Anyway here's all you really need to know about today; if...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-davis/so-you-re-probably-looking-at-this-and-making-fun-of-my-outfit-right/) [Brooke Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-davis/) > [Twombly, frankly, was an acquired taste. I was not in love with Twombly the first time I saw one of his paintings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/twombly-frankly-was-an-acquired-taste-i-was-not-in-love-with-twombly/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [“not because the moral law enjoins unselfishness, but because, given the society in which they live, it is the way in which their impulses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/not-because-the-moral-law-enjoins-unselfishness-but-because-given-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [There is no better education than rap battling in terms of performance. It makes you fearless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doc-brown/there-is-no-better-education-than-rap-battling-in-terms-of/) [Doc Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doc-brown/) > [You can't get a better education in what it is to write songs until you listen to American soul music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roisin-murphy/you-can-t-get-a-better-education-in-what-it-is-to-write-songs-until/) [Roisin Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roisin-murphy/) > [By hook or by crook, we're going to make sure that when I leave this office, that the country is more prosperous, more people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/by-hook-or-by-crook-we-re-going-to-make-sure-that-when-i-leave-this/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I had no education whatsoever, and my mother said, 'Oh, you'll get a much better education in life.' I did to some extent, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/i-had-no-education-whatsoever-and-my-mother-said-oh-you-ll-get-a-much/) [Julie Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-andrews/) ## More by Eli Broad > [If you ask why I do what I do - I want to make a difference. I don't just want to maintain the status…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/if-you-ask-why-i-do-what-i-do-i-want-to-make-a-difference-i-don-t/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [Museums do not share their collections with other museums unless they get something in exchange. The Metropolitan will deal with the Louvre, but will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/museums-do-not-share-their-collections-with-other-museums-unless-they/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [I believe that a newspaper is a great civic asset and that ownership is best in the hands of foundations or wealthy families that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/i-believe-that-a-newspaper-is-a-great-civic-asset-and-that-ownership/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [Collectors become obsessive and then addicted. You become addicted to art and you can't live without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/collectors-become-obsessive-and-then-addicted-you-become-addicted-to/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [I've got a big ego, I admit it; I'm ego-driven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/i-ve-got-a-big-ego-i-admit-it-i-m-ego-driven/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [It's critical that states improve how teachers are trained, recruited, evaluated, compensated, advanced, and retained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/it-s-critical-that-states-improve-how-teachers-are-trained-recruited/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [The best move you can make in negotiation is to think of an incentive the other person hasn't even thought of - and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/the-best-move-you-can-make-in-negotiation-is-to-think-of-an-incentive/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [Artists rarely do the same thing over and over again. Art is about the new, doing things in a new way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/artists-rarely-do-the-same-thing-over-and-over-again-art-is-about-the/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [People would rather have art or gold instead of paper money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/people-would-rather-have-art-or-gold-instead-of-paper-money/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [School boards are, for the most part ,made up of political wannabes who see a board seat as a stepping stone for political office,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/school-boards-are-for-the-most-part-made-up-of-political-wannabes-who/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [In high school, I would drive my teachers batty. They would make a statement, and I would say, 'Why is that?' They didn't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/in-high-school-i-would-drive-my-teachers-batty-they-would-make-a/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [I don't like to spend time in endless meetings talking about stuff that isn't going to get anything done. I have meetings, but they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/i-don-t-like-to-spend-time-in-endless-meetings-talking-about-stuff/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [Who you spend your life with-much more so than how you choose to spend it-is the most important decision you can make. Do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/who-you-spend-your-life-with-much-more-so-than-how-you-choose-to/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [To me, unconventional thinking is approaching a problem and asking, 'Why not? Why can't something be done?' If someone can't give me a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/to-me-unconventional-thinking-is-approaching-a-problem-and-asking-why/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [Research – and using what you learn from it to analyze every situation – is what separates being unreasonable from being irrational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/research-and-using-what-you-learn-from-it-to-analyze-every-situation/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) [Explore all 97 Eli Broad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. 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But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) [Browse all 7,717 American quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The American people frankly have been, over many, many years - to be blunt - fat, dumb and happy. 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