---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The American Right has an amazing ability…"
description: "\"The American Right has an amazing ability to lionize leaders whose lives are the precise antithesis of the political values that define their image.\" —..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/glenn-greenwald-1215_ability_the-american-right-has-an-amazing-abilit_1431022.jpg"
---

#  The American Right has an amazing ability to lionize…

![“The American Right has an amazing ability to lionize leaders whose lives are the precise antithesis of the political values that define their image.” quote by Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/glenn-greenwald-1215_ability_the-american-right-has-an-amazing-abilit_1431022.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/glenn-greenwald-1215_ability_the-american-right-has-an-amazing-abilit_1431022.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/glenn-greenwald-1215_ability_the-american-right-has-an-amazing-abilit_1431022.jpg)

> “The American Right has an amazing ability to lionize leaders whose lives are the precise antithesis of the political values that define their image.”

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

## About This Quote

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

People often glorify leaders whose lives contradict the values they claim to represent.

**In simple terms:** Leaders are idolized despite contradictions.

Key Takeaway

Question the consistency of praised figures.

Themes

politics hypocrisy leadership

Mood

critical analytical

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- campaigns
- news reporting
- public discourse

Key Concepts

media influence public perception

Questions to Reflect On

- What criteria should guide admiration?
- How do contradictions affect trust?

A Different Perspective

Simplistic praise ignores nuance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Amazing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amazing/) [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [American Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-right-457808/) [Antithesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antithesis/) [Antithesis Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antithesis-political-5095441/) [Define](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/define/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/image/) [Leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaders/) [Leaders Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaders-lives-600805/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Lionize Leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lionize-leaders-5095440/) [Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lives/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-values-2245400/) [Precise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precise/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Whose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whose/)

## Related quotes

> [“I believe that what defines leaders is not what they do with their lives but rather what they helped others around them do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cheshire/i-believe-that-what-defines-leaders-is-not-what-they-do-with-their/)

[Michael Cheshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cheshire/)

> [“followers have a very clear picture of what they want and need from the most influential leaders in their lives: trust, compassion, stability, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rath/followers-have-a-very-clear-picture-of-what-they-want-and-need-from/)

[Tom Rath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rath/)

> [With the coming of television, and the knowledge of how it could be used to seduce voters, the old political values disappeared. Something new,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcginniss/with-the-coming-of-television-and-the-knowledge-of-how-it-could-be/)

[Joe McGinniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcginniss/)

> [The objective of politics is always to build scenarios in which persons' horizons can be expanded evermore. Any political action that is aimed at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-haddad/the-objective-of-politics-is-always-to-build-scenarios-in-which/)

[Fernando Haddad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-haddad/)

> [It's a very bad idea for scientific conclusions to be accepted because they fit with the political values of a group of researchers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/it-s-a-very-bad-idea-for-scientific-conclusions-to-be-accepted/)

[Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/)

> [The reason Brexiteers have been so effective is that they have made the fight about broad political values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-sarkar/the-reason-brexiteers-have-been-so-effective-is-that-they-have-made/)

[Ash Sarkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-sarkar/)

> [The core political values of our free society are so deeply embedded in our collective consciousness that only a few malcontents, lunatics generally, ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/the-core-political-values-of-our-free-society-are-so-deeply-embedded/)

[John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/)

> [Every American has a right to affordable, high-quality health care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-baucus/every-american-has-a-right-to-affordable-high-quality-health-care/)

[Max Baucus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-baucus/)

> [You have the right to free speech as an American - you have no right to use YouTube to do it. And the mobs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-domenech/you-have-the-right-to-free-speech-as-an-american-you-have-no-right-to/)

[Ben Domenech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-domenech/)

> [Over fifteen years of studying the American Right professionally - especially in their communications with each other, in their own memos and media since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/over-fifteen-years-of-studying-the-american-right-professionally/)

[Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/)

> [There are few tribes more loathsome than the American Right, and their vicious use of the shortcomings in the NHS to attack Barack Obama's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-hoggart/there-are-few-tribes-more-loathsome-than-the-american-right-and-their/)

[Simon Hoggart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-hoggart/)

> [I am still baffled by those who feel that criticizing America is unpatriotic, a view increasingly being adopted in the United States since 9/11…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/i-am-still-baffled-by-those-who-feel-that-criticizing-america-is/)

[Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/)

> [There is nothing the matter with Americans except their ideals. The real American is all right; it is the ideal American who is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/there-is-nothing-the-matter-with-americans-except-their-ideals-the/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [“We have a multiheaded dragon in our midst that for too long has been waging a domestic war on our young, our poor, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/we-have-a-multiheaded-dragon-in-our-midst-that-for-too-long-has-been/)

[Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/)

> [Every American has the right to feel safe in their schools, in their churches, in their movie theaters, and in their nightclubs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-speier/every-american-has-the-right-to-feel-safe-in-their-schools-in-their/)

[Jackie Speier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-speier/)

## More by Glenn Greenwald

> [In essence, I see the value of journalism as resting in a twofold mission: informing the public of accurate and vital information, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/in-essence-i-see-the-value-of-journalism-as-resting-in-a-twofold/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [“The evidence shows that assurances that surveillance is only targeted at those who “have done something wrong” should provide little comfort, since a state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-evidence-shows-that-assurances-that-surveillance-is-only-targeted/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [“It's almost hard to imagine anything more undemocratic than the view that political officials should not debate American wars in public, but only express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/it-s-almost-hard-to-imagine-anything-more-undemocratic-than-the-view/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [It's hardly news that the Obama administration is intensely and, in many respects, unprecedentedly hostile toward the news-gathering process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/it-s-hardly-news-that-the-obama-administration-is-intensely-and-in/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [Only In America can a renowned and devoted terrorism supporter like Peter King be the arbiter of national security and treason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/only-in-america-can-a-renowned-and-devoted-terrorism-supporter-like/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [“Above even our physical well-being, a central value is keeping the state out of the private realm—our “persons, houses, papers, and effects,” as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/above-even-our-physical-well-being-a-central-value-is-keeping-the/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [“That capability at any time could be turned around on the American people and no American would have any privacy left, such is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/that-capability-at-any-time-could-be-turned-around-on-the-american/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [“Converting the Internet into a system of surveillance thus guts it of its core potential. Worse, it turns the Internet into a tool of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/converting-the-internet-into-a-system-of-surveillance-thus-guts-it-of/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [“the desire for privacy is shared by us all as an essential, not ancillary, part of what it means to be human. We all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-desire-for-privacy-is-shared-by-us-all-as-an-essential-not/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [I don't have a 'side'—I'm responsible for what I say and nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/i-don-t-have-a-side-i-m-responsible-for-what-i-say-and-nothing-else/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [“Encryption matters, and it is not just for spies and philanderers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/encryption-matters-and-it-is-not-just-for-spies-and-philanderers/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [“Among other devices, the agency intercepts and tampers with routers and servers manufactured by Cisco to direct large amounts of Internet traffic back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/among-other-devices-the-agency-intercepts-and-tampers-with-routers/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [“NSA has increasingly made use of a secret technology that enables it to enter and alter data in computers even if they are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/nsa-has-increasingly-made-use-of-a-secret-technology-that-enables-it/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [A key purpose of journalism is to provide an adversarial check on those who wield the greatest power by shining a light on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/a-key-purpose-of-journalism-is-to-provide-an-adversarial-check-on/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [“We all instinctively understand that the private realm is where we can act, think, speak, write, experiment, and choose how to be, away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/we-all-instinctively-understand-that-the-private-realm-is-where-we/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

[Explore all 270 Glenn Greenwald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

## More Ability quotes

> [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/)

[Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/)

> [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/)

[Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/)

> [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/)

[Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/)

> [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/)

[Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/)

> [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/)

[Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/)

> [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

> [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/)

[Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/)

> [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/)

[Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/)

> [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/)

[Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/)

> [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/)

[Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/)

> [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/)

[Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/)

[Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The American Right has an amazing ability to lionize leaders whose lives are the precise antithesis of the political values that define their image.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Glenn Greenwald"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-american-right-has-an-amazing-ability-to-lionize-leaders-whose/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ability"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-american-right-has-an-amazing-ability-to-lionize-leaders-whose/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/glenn-greenwald-1215_ability_the-american-right-has-an-amazing-abilit_1431022.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/glenn-greenwald-1215_ability_the-american-right-has-an-amazing-abilit_1431022.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/glenn-greenwald-1215_ability_the-american-right-has-an-amazing-abilit_1431022.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The American Right has an amazing ability to lionize leaders whose lives are the precise antithesis of the…” — Glenn Greenwald",
                "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": "Glenn Greenwald",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The American Right has an amazing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-american-right-has-an-amazing-ability-to-lionize-leaders-whose/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-american-right-has-an-amazing-ability-to-lionize-leaders-whose/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
