--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only reason we used the Confederate…" description: "\"The only reason we used the Confederate flag was just because we were from the South, and we were proud of that.\" — Gary Rossington" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/gary-rossington-11627_confederate_the-only-reason-we-used-the-confederate_442975.jpg" --- # The only reason we used the Confederate flag was just… ![“The only reason we used the Confederate flag was just because we were from the South, and we were proud of that.” quote by Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/gary-rossington-11627_confederate_the-only-reason-we-used-the-confederate_442975.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/gary-rossington-11627_confederate_the-only-reason-we-used-the-confederate_442975.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/gary-rossington-11627_confederate_the-only-reason-we-used-the-confederate_442975.jpg) > “The only reason we used the Confederate flag was just because we were from the South, and we were proud of that.” [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pride in regional identity can justify controversial symbols, overlooking broader impact. **In simple terms:** Southern pride used to defend the flag. Key Takeaway Consider the broader implications of symbols. Themes identity pride controversial symbols Mood critical thoughtful Type political cultural When to use this quote - political debates - public displays - cultural discussions Key Concepts regionalism historical context social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - Should symbols be re-evaluated over time? - How do personal pride and public harm conflict? A Different Perspective Symbols can perpetuate division despite personal sentiment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confederate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confederate/) [Confederate flag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confederate-flag/) [Flag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flag/) [Proud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proud/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [For me, the things like the Confederate flag - I just don't think that it does anybody much good, and it certainly causes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/for-me-the-things-like-the-confederate-flag-i-just-don-t-think-that/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [My dad was a cop, you know, and I grew up three houses down from people who used Confederate flags as curtains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/my-dad-was-a-cop-you-know-and-i-grew-up-three-houses-down-from-people/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [A doctor today would never prescribe the treatments my grandfather used in the Confederate Army, but a minister says pretty much the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-templeton/a-doctor-today-would-never-prescribe-the-treatments-my-grandfather/) [John Templeton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-templeton/) > [I think that it's appropriate to have the Confederate flag perhaps in a museum, but it is not a unifying symbol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/i-think-that-it-s-appropriate-to-have-the-confederate-flag-perhaps-in/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [ \[Confederate flag\] it's a symbol of racial hatred. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/confederate-flag-it-s-a-symbol-of-racial-hatred/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [I think the ties to slavery and the terrible tragedy that followed the Civil War with Jim Crow and racial violence is closely linked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-r-ferris/i-think-the-ties-to-slavery-and-the-terrible-tragedy-that-followed/) [William R. Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-r-ferris/) > [For black folks, the Confederate flag represents the same thing that the Nazi flag represents to the Jews. There is absolutely no difference when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-page/for-black-folks-the-confederate-flag-represents-the-same-thing-that/) Ken Page > [The people that don't want change, the ones that don't see how removing Confederate flag creates so much more opportunities for our sport to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubba-wallace/the-people-that-don-t-want-change-the-ones-that-don-t-see-how/) [Bubba Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubba-wallace/) > [Now, that doesn't mean that individuals can't have Confederate flags on their property. They have the right to do that. But again, it represents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/now-that-doesn-t-mean-that-individuals-can-t-have-confederate-flags/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [I don't fly the Confederate flag on my property, but I'm not going to try to belittle or embarrass anybody who wants to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-stewart/i-don-t-fly-the-confederate-flag-on-my-property-but-i-m-not-going-to/) [Corey Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-stewart/) > [Anyone who says the Confederate Flag is a symbol of hate should be required to go to sensitivity training classes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezola-b-foster/anyone-who-says-the-confederate-flag-is-a-symbol-of-hate-should-be/) Ezola B. Foster > [I live in the South; there are Confederate flags everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-live-in-the-south-there-are-confederate-flags-everywhere/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [In South Carolina, the Confederate flag flies high on countless flagpoles. Those who defend this practice by saying it is part of Southern culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schlossberg/in-south-carolina-the-confederate-flag-flies-high-on-countless/) [Jack Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schlossberg/) > [ It's time for the \[Confederate\] Flag to come down, because it just doesn't represent who we are as a people, as Americans anymore. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hunter/it-s-time-for-the-confederate-flag-to-come-down-because-it-just-doesn/) Jack Hunter > [South Carolina, as a matter of compromise, displays the Confederate flag on a flagpole in front of the state capitol. Because I grew up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edwards/south-carolina-as-a-matter-of-compromise-displays-the-confederate/) [John Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edwards/) ## More by Gary Rossington > [Old-school rock bands, and blues bands, too, are kind of a dying breed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/old-school-rock-bands-and-blues-bands-too-are-kind-of-a-dying-breed/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) > [We didn't have much money when I was younger, so I had to collect Coke bottles and cash them in and get a paper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/we-didn-t-have-much-money-when-i-was-younger-so-i-had-to-collect-coke/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) > [We want to challenge Marilyn Manson and the rap people with the bad lyrics to write some positive songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/we-want-to-challenge-marilyn-manson-and-the-rap-people-with-the-bad/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) > [We're a rock n' roll band. We're more music and rock n' roll than politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/we-re-a-rock-n-roll-band-we-re-more-music-and-rock-n-roll-than/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) > [I love being Southern because of the people and the fans we have. People down here are more friendly - really warm people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/i-love-being-southern-because-of-the-people-and-the-fans-we-have/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) > [We used to travel through Alabama a lot and get onto back roads and just marvel at how pretty it was and how nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/we-used-to-travel-through-alabama-a-lot-and-get-onto-back-roads-and/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) > [Jimi Hendrix's 'Electric Ladyland' and 'All Along the Watchtower,' those solos are just so cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/jimi-hendrix-s-electric-ladyland-and-all-along-the-watchtower-those/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) > [You go through stuff, and you keep going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/you-go-through-stuff-and-you-keep-going/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) > [We keep our music simple, no big gimmicks. We tell stories people can relate to, not hard to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/we-keep-our-music-simple-no-big-gimmicks-we-tell-stories-people-can/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) > [I've always used the Peavey Mace equipment. I've got a few of them. They're kind of like Marshalls. You know, we used to use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/i-ve-always-used-the-peavey-mace-equipment-i-ve-got-a-few-of-them/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) > [We're not preachers, but we say, 'Let's try and change things.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/we-re-not-preachers-but-we-say-let-s-try-and-change-things/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) > [We wanted to be America's Rolling Stones, to be the biggest band over here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/we-wanted-to-be-america-s-rolling-stones-to-be-the-biggest-band-over/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) > [I sound like an old bullfrog when I sing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/i-sound-like-an-old-bullfrog-when-i-sing/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) > [For one reason or another, the good God has left me on this planet; surely, I will not sit around and not do what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/for-one-reason-or-another-the-good-god-has-left-me-on-this-planet/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) > [All we lived for was playing and being out on the road. That was our dream, and it came true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/all-we-lived-for-was-playing-and-being-out-on-the-road-that-was-our/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) [Explore all 59 Gary Rossington quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) ## More Confederate quotes > [South Carolina, as a matter of compromise, displays the Confederate flag on a flagpole in front of the state capitol. Because I grew up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edwards/south-carolina-as-a-matter-of-compromise-displays-the-confederate/) [John Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edwards/) > [What I’m talking about is more than recompense for past injustices—more than a handout, a payoff, hush money, or a reluctant bribe. What I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/what-i-m-talking-about-is-more-than-recompense-for-past-injustices/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [When you come to Montgomery, you see fifty-nine monuments and memorials, all about the Civil War, all about Confederate leaders and generals. We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/when-you-come-to-montgomery-you-see-fifty-nine-monuments-and/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [Its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-h-stephens/its-foundations-are-laid-its-cornerstone-rests-upon-the-great-truth/) [Alexander H. Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-h-stephens/) > [“An estimated 400 women disguised themselves as men to fight in the Civil War. Many were like Amy Clarke, who enlisted so she could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/an-estimated-400-women-disguised-themselves-as-men-to-fight-in-the/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [“A rump group of rebel soldiers formed a colony west of Vera Cruz called Carlota, which soon burgeoned into a community of five thousand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/a-rump-group-of-rebel-soldiers-formed-a-colony-west-of-vera-cruz/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [What do you call a co-worker these days? Neither teammate nor confederate will do, and partner is too legalistic. The answer brought from academia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/what-do-you-call-a-co-worker-these-days-neither-teammate-nor/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [We are all naturally seekers of wonders. We travel far to see the majesty of old ruins, the venerable forms of the hoary mountains,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pike/we-are-all-naturally-seekers-of-wonders-we-travel-far-to-see-the/) [Albert Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pike/) > [ It's time for the \[Confederate\] Flag to come down, because it just doesn't represent who we are as a people, as Americans anymore. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hunter/it-s-time-for-the-confederate-flag-to-come-down-because-it-just-doesn/) Jack Hunter > [...So Englishmen saw it. Lincoln's insincerity was regarded as proven by two things: his earlier denial of any lawful right or wish to free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-vanauken/so-englishmen-saw-it-lincoln-s-insincerity-was-regarded-as-proven-by/) [Sheldon Vanauken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-vanauken/) > [In a landscape littered with all of this imagery about the nobility of the Civil War and the Confederate effort and struggle, the absence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/in-a-landscape-littered-with-all-of-this-imagery-about-the-nobility/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [Disagreeing with the fervent patriotism of the Confederates: "I think it's hard winning a war with words, gentlemen. . . . I'm saying very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-gable/disagreeing-with-the-fervent-patriotism-of-the-confederates-i-think/) [Clark Gable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clark-gable/) > [“As he reached the slight elevation he beheld the Confederate army sweeping down upon him. Their skirmish line fired at him, killing his orderly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-olney/as-he-reached-the-slight-elevation-he-beheld-the-confederate-army/) Warren Olney > [In South Carolina, the Confederate flag flies high on countless flagpoles. Those who defend this practice by saying it is part of Southern culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schlossberg/in-south-carolina-the-confederate-flag-flies-high-on-countless/) [Jack Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schlossberg/) > [It's hard when the worst people in the country are cheering, the people with the confederate flag, the people that do anti-Semitism on Twitter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerson/it-s-hard-when-the-worst-people-in-the-country-are-cheering-the/) [Michael Gerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerson/) [Browse all 186 Confederate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confederate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only reason we used the Confederate flag was just because we were from the South, and we were proud of that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gary Rossington" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/the-only-reason-we-used-the-confederate-flag-was-just-because-we-were/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Confederate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/the-only-reason-we-used-the-confederate-flag-was-just-because-we-were/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/gary-rossington-11627_confederate_the-only-reason-we-used-the-confederate_442975.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/gary-rossington-11627_confederate_the-only-reason-we-used-the-confederate_442975.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/gary-rossington-11627_confederate_the-only-reason-we-used-the-confederate_442975.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only reason we used the Confederate flag was just because we were from the South, and we were proud of…” — Gary Rossington", "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": "Gary Rossington", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only reason we used the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/the-only-reason-we-used-the-confederate-flag-was-just-because-we-were/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/the-only-reason-we-used-the-confederate-flag-was-just-because-we-were/#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 } } ] } ```