---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Make good and sure your clients all call…"
description: "\"“Make good and sure your clients all call themselves Americans —proudly so, defiantly, loudly— but without any more thought about it than wearing a hat..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e02/geoffrey-wood-4200_american_make-good-and-sure-your-clients-all-call_30181.jpg"
---

#  Make good and sure your clients all call themselves…

![“Make good and sure your clients all call themselves Americans —proudly so, defiantly, loudly— but without any more thought about it than wearing a hat.” quote by Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e02/geoffrey-wood-4200_american_make-good-and-sure-your-clients-all-call_30181.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e02/geoffrey-wood-4200_american_make-good-and-sure-your-clients-all-call_30181.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e02/geoffrey-wood-4200_american_make-good-and-sure-your-clients-all-call_30181.jpg)

> ““Make good and sure your clients all call themselves Americans —proudly so, defiantly, loudly— but without any more thought about it than wearing a hat.””

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Encourages superficial patriotism, treating national identity as a casual fashion choice rather than a thoughtful commitment.

**In simple terms:** Patriotic identity as a fashion statement.

Key Takeaway

Patriotism can be shallow if unexamined.

Themes

identity nationalism superficiality culture politics

Mood

ironic critical thought-provoking

Type

political social commentary aphorism

When to use this quote

- marketing campaigns
- political rallies
- brand positioning
- social media trends

Key Concepts

identity performance social conformity national symbols

Practical Applications

- advertising strategies
- civic engagement programs

Questions to Reflect On

- What does it mean to truly embody a national identity?
- How can societies foster deeper connections to civic values?

A Different Perspective

Patriotism without reflection may erode genuine civic responsibility.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/)

## Related quotes

> [All Americans should proudly pause on Veterans Day to express heartfelt thanks and esteem to the veterans of our land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-americans-should-proudly-pause-on-veterans-day-to-express/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“That’s where thinking started, where thinking stopped, where all her prayers so long ago had dried up. She no longer prayed, nor even dreamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/that-s-where-thinking-started-where-thinking-stopped-where-all-her/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“I shouldn’t need to remind you that it was words that created the universe and The Word that now holds it together. While your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/i-shouldn-t-need-to-remind-you-that-it-was-words-that-created-the/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“We have deficited upon their attention in the most disorderly fashion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/we-have-deficited-upon-their-attention-in-the-most-disorderly-fashion/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“The Americans want a surplus stocked up to supply their every whim. And their appeals are much less requests, more demands. Indeed, the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/the-americans-want-a-surplus-stocked-up-to-supply-their-every-whim/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“Grace runs downhill and now all his time is being redeemed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/grace-runs-downhill-and-now-all-his-time-is-being-redeemed/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“Teach them the shame that tells the lie, “I am unforgivable,” when the truth is, “I feel unforgivable, but it was out of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/teach-them-the-shame-that-tells-the-lie-i-am-unforgivable-when-the/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“You see my point? The average person has a very average notion of goodness to which they aspire averagely. To aspire to goodness in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/you-see-my-point-the-average-person-has-a-very-average-notion-of/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“Guilt, if cultivated in a Christian client, can render their Christianity worthless to themselves and others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/guilt-if-cultivated-in-a-christian-client-can-render-their/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“The eye is to light as the soul is to God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/the-eye-is-to-light-as-the-soul-is-to-god/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“For example, your man might think: I don’t steal. Maybe on my taxes, everyone does that, but not in the way I heard so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/for-example-your-man-might-think-i-don-t-steal-maybe-on-my-taxes/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“Everyone needs to calm down! Okay, you got a weird cookie. So what? I don’t mean to swat your ego here, buddy, but this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/everyone-needs-to-calm-down-okay-you-got-a-weird-cookie-so-what-i-don/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“Though I despise it, I do not doubt His Love for the creatures. I have seen it —His ever-reaching outward for any hand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/though-i-despise-it-i-do-not-doubt-his-love-for-the-creatures-i-have/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“It was like magic, but so much of magic is about misdirection, whereas so much of redemption is straightforward and ordinary, piercing true and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/it-was-like-magic-but-so-much-of-magic-is-about-misdirection-whereas/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“The Bible is the one book we’ve most succeeded in having them never read as a book. Keep it that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/the-bible-is-the-one-book-we-ve-most-succeeded-in-having-them-never/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

## More by Geoffrey Wood

> [“The Bible is the one book we’ve most succeeded in having them never read as a book. Keep it that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/the-bible-is-the-one-book-we-ve-most-succeeded-in-having-them-never/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“It was like magic, but so much of magic is about misdirection, whereas so much of redemption is straightforward and ordinary, piercing true and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/it-was-like-magic-but-so-much-of-magic-is-about-misdirection-whereas/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“Though I despise it, I do not doubt His Love for the creatures. I have seen it —His ever-reaching outward for any hand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/though-i-despise-it-i-do-not-doubt-his-love-for-the-creatures-i-have/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“Everyone needs to calm down! Okay, you got a weird cookie. So what? I don’t mean to swat your ego here, buddy, but this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/everyone-needs-to-calm-down-okay-you-got-a-weird-cookie-so-what-i-don/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“For example, your man might think: I don’t steal. Maybe on my taxes, everyone does that, but not in the way I heard so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/for-example-your-man-might-think-i-don-t-steal-maybe-on-my-taxes/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“The eye is to light as the soul is to God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/the-eye-is-to-light-as-the-soul-is-to-god/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“Guilt, if cultivated in a Christian client, can render their Christianity worthless to themselves and others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/guilt-if-cultivated-in-a-christian-client-can-render-their/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“You see my point? The average person has a very average notion of goodness to which they aspire averagely. To aspire to goodness in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/you-see-my-point-the-average-person-has-a-very-average-notion-of/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“Teach them the shame that tells the lie, “I am unforgivable,” when the truth is, “I feel unforgivable, but it was out of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/teach-them-the-shame-that-tells-the-lie-i-am-unforgivable-when-the/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“Grace runs downhill and now all his time is being redeemed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/grace-runs-downhill-and-now-all-his-time-is-being-redeemed/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“The Americans want a surplus stocked up to supply their every whim. And their appeals are much less requests, more demands. Indeed, the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/the-americans-want-a-surplus-stocked-up-to-supply-their-every-whim/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“We have deficited upon their attention in the most disorderly fashion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/we-have-deficited-upon-their-attention-in-the-most-disorderly-fashion/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“I shouldn’t need to remind you that it was words that created the universe and The Word that now holds it together. While your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/i-shouldn-t-need-to-remind-you-that-it-was-words-that-created-the/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [“That’s where thinking started, where thinking stopped, where all her prayers so long ago had dried up. She no longer prayed, nor even dreamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/that-s-where-thinking-started-where-thinking-stopped-where-all-her/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

> [When their minds mingle with His magnanimity, something of eternity rubs off on their imaginations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/when-their-minds-mingle-with-his-magnanimity-something-of-eternity/)

[Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

[Explore all 114 Geoffrey Wood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/)

## 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. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/)

[Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/)

> [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/)

[Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/)

> [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. 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

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Make good and sure your clients all call themselves Americans —proudly so, defiantly, loudly— but without any more thought about it than wearing a hat.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Geoffrey Wood"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/make-good-and-sure-your-clients-all-call-themselves-americans-proudly/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "American"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/make-good-and-sure-your-clients-all-call-themselves-americans-proudly/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e02/geoffrey-wood-4200_american_make-good-and-sure-your-clients-all-call_30181.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e02/geoffrey-wood-4200_american_make-good-and-sure-your-clients-all-call_30181.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e02/geoffrey-wood-4200_american_make-good-and-sure-your-clients-all-call_30181.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Make good and sure your clients all call themselves Americans —proudly so, defiantly, loudly— but without…” — Geoffrey Wood",
                "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": "Geoffrey Wood",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Make good and sure your clients...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/make-good-and-sure-your-clients-all-call-themselves-americans-proudly/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/make-good-and-sure-your-clients-all-call-themselves-americans-proudly/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
