Great depression Quote by Elizabeth Warren
““The tale of America coming out of the Great Depression and not only surviving but actually transforming itself into an economic giant is the stuff of legend. But the part that gives me goose bumps is what we did with all that wealth: over several generations, our country built the greatest middle class the world had ever known. We built it ourselves, using our own hard work and the tools of government to open up more opportunities for millions of people. We used it all—tax policy, investments in public education, new infrastructure, support for research, rules that protected consumers and investors, antitrust laws—to promote and expand our middle class. The spectacular, shoot-off-the-fireworks fact is that we succeeded.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Remarks on Economic History, United States Senate, 2023
The United States rose from the Great Depression to become an economic powerhouse by creating a strong middle class through hard work and government policies such as tax reforms, education, infrastructure, research, consumer protection, and antitrust enforcement.
In simple terms: America built a large middle class using work and policy.
Key Takeaway
Invest in policies that expand opportunity.
Themes
economics
public policy
social mobility
history
growth
Mood
optimistic
proud
Type
historical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- policy design
- education reform
- infrastructure projects
- research funding
- consumer protection
Key Concepts
middle class
government intervention
tax policy
education
infrastructure
antitrust
Questions to Reflect On
- How can modern policy replicate past successes?
- What risks threaten the middle class today?
A Different Perspective
Success depends on sustained political will and public support.
![“I can remember riding in the car with [my daughter] Amelia, when she was very small, and we'd talk about money the same way we'd talk about sparkly shoes or what had happened at school.” quote by Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e72/elizabeth-warren-879_amelia_i-can-remember-riding-in-the-car-with-my_32573.jpg)
![“The crisis [the Great Depression] discovered a great man in Franklin Roosevelt...None too soon he has carried America forward to the second stage of democratic realization. His New Deal involves such collective controls of the national business that it would be absurd to call it anything but…” quote by H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/772/h-g-wells-1122_absurd_the-crisis-the-great-depression-discover_120950.jpg)
![“World War II was really unusual, because America was in the Great Depression before. So the war did help the US economy to get securely out of this decline. This time, the war [in Iraq] is bad for the economy in both the short and long run. We could have spent trillions in research or education…” quote by Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/860/joseph-stiglitz-1351_america_world-war-ii-was-really-unusual-because_156000.jpg)
