--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A great nation does not hide its history…" description: "\"“A great nation does not hide its history. It faces its flaws and corrects them.”\" — George W. Bush" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/george-w-bush-64_flaws_a-great-nation-does-not-hide-its-history_2312248.jpg" --- # A great nation does not hide its history. It faces its… ![“A great nation does not hide its history. It faces its flaws and corrects them.” quote by George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/george-w-bush-64_flaws_a-great-nation-does-not-hide-its-history_2312248.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/george-w-bush-64_flaws_a-great-nation-does-not-hide-its-history_2312248.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/george-w-bush-64_flaws_a-great-nation-does-not-hide-its-history_2312248.jpg) > ““A great nation does not hide its history. It faces its flaws and corrects them.”” [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates transparency about a nation’s past, urging acknowledgment of flaws to enable improvement. **In simple terms:** A nation should confront its history openly to grow. Key Takeaway Embrace honest reflection for progress. Themes history accountability national identity Mood thoughtful inspirational Type political philosophical When to use this quote - education curricula - public policy debates - media coverage Key Concepts collective memory political responsibility learning from mistakes Questions to Reflect On - What historical truths are ignored in your community? - How can societies balance pride with critique? A Different Perspective Denial or selective memory can hinder healing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faces Flaws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces-flaws-5496470/) [Flaws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flaws/) [Flaws Corrects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flaws-corrects-5496469/) [Great nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-nation/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-faces-1769496/) ## Related quotes > [Strangers are exciting, their mystery never ends. But, there's nothing like looking at your own history in the faces of your friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/strangers-are-exciting-their-mystery-never-ends-but-there-s-nothing/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [The resolve of our great nation is being tested. But make no mistake, we will show the world that we will pass the test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-resolve-of-our-great-nation-is-being-tested-but-make-no-mistake/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [We're too great a nation to allow the evildoers to affect our soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/we-re-too-great-a-nation-to-allow-the-evildoers-to-affect-our-soul/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [we're too great a nation to allow the evil-doers to affect our soul and our spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/we-re-too-great-a-nation-to-allow-the-evil-doers-to-affect-our-soul/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“However enlightened and however skilful a central power may be, it cannot of itself embrace all the details of the existence of a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/however-enlightened-and-however-skilful-a-central-power-may-be-it/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [It is fitting for a great nation to yield.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/it-is-fitting-for-a-great-nation-to-yield/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Our country is only as strong as the men and women who serve our great nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-donalds/our-country-is-only-as-strong-as-the-men-and-women-who-serve-our/) [Byron Donalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-donalds/) > [It is not what we have that will make us a great nation; it is the way in which we use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/it-is-not-what-we-have-that-will-make-us-a-great-nation-it-is-the-way/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Religious liberty is the salt and light that has made us the great nation we are in a whole number of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/religious-liberty-is-the-salt-and-light-that-has-made-us-the-great/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [We are a great nation, which has lot to offer to the world, but to offer something to the world France has to remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marine-le-pen/we-are-a-great-nation-which-has-lot-to-offer-to-the-world-but-to/) [Marine Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marine-le-pen/) > [The Australian people want to help build this country into a great nation. 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Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [For diplomacy to be effective, words must be credible - and no one can now doubt the word of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/for-diplomacy-to-be-effective-words-must-be-credible-and-no-one-can/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/you-can-fool-some-of-the-people-all-the-time-and-those-are-the-ones/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [If you take all the food aid, America is by far the most generous country. If you take the direct aid, we're very generous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-you-take-all-the-food-aid-america-is-by-far-the-most-generous/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [The tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-tyrant-has-fallen-and-iraq-is-free/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“One of our energy strategies is to increase the CAFE standards to 35 miles per hour..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/one-of-our-energy-strategies-is-to-increase-the-cafe-standards-to-35/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [There's a lot that I want to accomplish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-s-a-lot-that-i-want-to-accomplish/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [If he's - the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a - is a noble institution I would - I would strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-he-s-the-inference-is-that-somehow-he-thinks-slavery-is-a-is-a/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [My answer is bring 'em on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/my-answer-is-bring-em-on/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [On 9-11, we discovered that we cannot escape from the world. To me personally, this was a life-changing experience, and I realized, as did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/on-9-11-we-discovered-that-we-cannot-escape-from-the-world-to-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [As Americans, we want peace - we work and sacrifice for peace. But there can be no peace if our security depends on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/as-americans-we-want-peace-we-work-and-sacrifice-for-peace-but-there/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I couldn't imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Chanukah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-couldn-t-imagine-somebody-like-osama-bin-laden-understanding-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) [Explore all 1,717 George W. Bush quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) ## More Flaws quotes > [I'm perfectly flawed... I've got tons of flaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/i-m-perfectly-flawed-i-ve-got-tons-of-flaws/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [The queen of virtues is the recognition of one's own flaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/the-queen-of-virtues-is-the-recognition-of-one-s-own-flaws/) [Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/) > [That's your friend. My husband is my best friend. He's not the mirror that holds up my flaws. 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It’s not the South, it’s not Chicago, and you don’t think of it as you think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-james/louisville-is-a-place-with-no-labels-it-s-not-the-south-it-s-not/) [Jim James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-james/) > [..in that moment i realize how much i love the little everyday routines of my life..the details that are my life's special pattern, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/in-that-moment-i-realize-how-much-i-love-the-little-everyday-routines/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Heroes became heroes flaws and all gives us hope. "You mean I don't have to be perfect to fulfill my Dream, to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mcwilliams/heroes-became-heroes-flaws-and-all-gives-us-hope-you-mean-i-don-t/) [Peter McWilliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mcwilliams/) > [“Perfection was a myth. Beauty was in the flaws." - Tommas de Rossi “Chicago War: The Complete Series”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-kris/perfection-was-a-myth-beauty-was-in-the-flaws-tommas-de-rossi-chicago/) [Bethany-Kris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-kris/) > [Liberalism's fatal flaw,... is that it has no permanent norms, only a succession of enthusiasms espoused by minor prophets. Each of these seems like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/liberalism-s-fatal-flaw-is-that-it-has-no-permanent-norms-only-a/) [Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/) > [Pure essence, and pure matter, and the two joined into one were shot forth without flaw, like three bright arrows from a three-string bow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/pure-essence-and-pure-matter-and-the-two-joined-into-one-were-shot/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [I'm attracted to playing characters that have flaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-shahi/i-m-attracted-to-playing-characters-that-have-flaws/) [Sarah Shahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-shahi/) > [Certain flaws are necessary for the whole. 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