--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You will find the Americans much like the…" description: "\"You will find the Americans much like the Greeks found the Romans: great, big, vulgar, bustling people more vigorous than we are and also more idle, wi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/harold-macmillan-11133_americans_you-will-find-the-americans-much-like-th_174254.png" --- # You will find the Americans much like the Greeks found the… ![“You will find the Americans much like the Greeks found the Romans: great, big, vulgar, bustling people more vigorous than we are and also more idle, with more unspoiled virtues but also more corrupt” quote by Harold Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/harold-macmillan-11133_americans_you-will-find-the-americans-much-like-th_174254.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/harold-macmillan-11133_americans_you-will-find-the-americans-much-like-th_174254.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/harold-macmillan-11133_americans_you-will-find-the-americans-much-like-th_174254.png) > “You will find the Americans much like the Greeks found the Romans: great, big, vulgar, bustling people more vigorous than we are and also more idle, with more unspoiled virtues but also more corrupt” [Harold Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote compares Americans to Romans as seen by Greeks, highlighting both strengths and flaws, suggesting a mix of vigor and corruption. **In simple terms:** Americans are powerful yet flawed, like ancient Romans. Key Takeaway Recognize both virtues and vices in societies. Themes culture civilization strength corruption vigor Mood critical reflective Type observational analytical When to use this quote - national identity - political analysis - comparative study Key Concepts historical analogy social critique Questions to Reflect On - How do modern perceptions of America differ from this view? - What aspects of Roman culture are still evident today? A Different Perspective Overgeneralizes complex societies; may ignore diversity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Romans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romans/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) [Vulgar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vulgar/) ## Related quotes > [The Ethiop gods have Ethiop lips, Bronze cheeks, and woolly hair; The Grecian gods are like the Greeks, As keen-eyed, cold and fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bagehot/the-ethiop-gods-have-ethiop-lips-bronze-cheeks-and-woolly-hair-the/) [Walter Bagehot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bagehot/) > [Hence we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but heroes fight like Greeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/hence-we-will-not-say-that-greeks-fight-like-heroes-but-heroes-fight/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [“It is an interesting, though idle, speculation, what would be the effect on us if all our reformers, revolutionaries, planners, politicians, and life-arrangers in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-f-kitto/it-is-an-interesting-though-idle-speculation-what-would-be-the-effect/) H.D.F. Kitto > [Drink, live like the Greeks, eat, gorge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/drink-live-like-the-greeks-eat-gorge/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [“It's a very Greek idea, and a very profound one. Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it. And what could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/it-s-a-very-greek-idea-and-a-very-profound-one-beauty-is-terror/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [Americans like to think 'Python' is how English people really are. There is an element of truth to that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-idle/americans-like-to-think-python-is-how-english-people-really-are-there/) [Eric Idle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-idle/) > [ It's a big country out there and there are tens of millions of Americans who like what the president \[Donald Trump\] is doing. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellyanne-conway/it-s-a-big-country-out-there-and-there-are-tens-of-millions-of/) [Kellyanne Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellyanne-conway/) > [I think Brits probably feel that Americans are more like us than vice-versa, if that makes sense. Because we get everything American over here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayley-atwell/i-think-brits-probably-feel-that-americans-are-more-like-us-than-vice/) [Hayley Atwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayley-atwell/) > [Black Americans like me are free people with free minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jones/black-americans-like-me-are-free-people-with-free-minds/) [Vernon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jones/) > [Americans like swag, eh? I'm coming for you, Westbrook!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luka-doncic/americans-like-swag-eh-i-m-coming-for-you-westbrook/) [Luka Doncic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luka-doncic/) > [I like whimsy and satire, and that's what Americans like so much about Brits. We bring subtlety and sense of humor that you sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/i-like-whimsy-and-satire-and-that-s-what-americans-like-so-much-about/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) > [Despite the obvious benefits, many Americans do not like Texas. Some even say they despise Texas, and make no secret of their feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-frazier/despite-the-obvious-benefits-many-americans-do-not-like-texas-some/) [Ian Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-frazier/) > [My records have done very well in Europe and I want Americans to like my music too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demis-roussos/my-records-have-done-very-well-in-europe-and-i-want-americans-to-like/) [Demis Roussos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demis-roussos/) > [I like the mentality of the Americans. It's like when you talk about money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-prost/i-like-the-mentality-of-the-americans-it-s-like-when-you-talk-about/) [Alain Prost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-prost/) > [So many Korean Americans like me came to this country with the hope of achieving their own American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-steel/so-many-korean-americans-like-me-came-to-this-country-with-the-hope/) [Michelle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-steel/) ## More by Harold Macmillan > [Marxism is like a classical building that followed the Renaissance; beautiful in its way, but incapable of growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/marxism-is-like-a-classical-building-that-followed-the-renaissance/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [A successful current affairs television show seems to be more and more a cross between a music hall turn and a scene in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/a-successful-current-affairs-television-show-seems-to-be-more-and/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [No man should ever lose sleep over public affairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/no-man-should-ever-lose-sleep-over-public-affairs/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [There might be 1 finger on the trigger, but there will be 15 fingers on the safety catch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/there-might-be-1-finger-on-the-trigger-but-there-will-be-15-fingers/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [I was a sort of son to Ike, and it was the other way round with Kennedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/i-was-a-sort-of-son-to-ike-and-it-was-the-other-way-round-with-kennedy/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [Churchill was fundamentally what the English call unstable - by which they mean anybody who has that touch of genius which is inconvenient in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/churchill-was-fundamentally-what-the-english-call-unstable-by-which/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [He (Aneurin Bevan) enjoys prophesying the imminent fall of the capitalist system, and is prepared to play a part, any part, in its burial,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/he-aneurin-bevan-enjoys-prophesying-the-imminent-fall-of-the/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [(A Foreign Secretary) is forever poised between the cliche and the indiscretion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/a-foreign-secretary-is-forever-poised-between-the-cliche-and-the/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [A Foreign Secretaryand this applies also to a prospective Foreign Secretaryis always faced with this cruel dilemma. Nothing he can say can do very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/a-foreign-secretaryand-this-applies-also-to-a-prospective-foreign/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [Britain's most useful role is somewhere between bee and dinosaur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/britain-s-most-useful-role-is-somewhere-between-bee-and-dinosaur/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [There are three bodies no sensible man directly challenges: the Roman Catholic Church, the Brigade of Guards and the National Union of Mineworkers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/there-are-three-bodies-no-sensible-man-directly-challenges-the-roman/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [It is a good thing to be laughed at. It is better than to be ignored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/it-is-a-good-thing-to-be-laughed-at-it-is-better-than-to-be-ignored/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [After a long life I have come to the conclusion that when all the Establishment is united it is always wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/after-a-long-life-i-have-come-to-the-conclusion-that-when-all-the/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [Once the bear's hug has got you, it is apt to be for keeps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/once-the-bear-s-hug-has-got-you-it-is-apt-to-be-for-keeps/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [We have not overthrown the divine right of kings to fall down for the divine right of experts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/we-have-not-overthrown-the-divine-right-of-kings-to-fall-down-for-the/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) [Explore all 61 Harold Macmillan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) ## More Americans quotes > [“People – Americans, mostly – realise how attached they are to material comforts when they arrive in India.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-william-roberts/people-americans-mostly-realise-how-attached-they-are-to-material/) Paul William Roberts > [Music has an intrinsic value that touches Americans - they love their music, and want more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-rosen/music-has-an-intrinsic-value-that-touches-americans-they-love-their/) [Hilary Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-rosen/) > [Americans are very friendly and very suspicious, that is what Americans are and that is what always upsets the foreigner, who deals with them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/americans-are-very-friendly-and-very-suspicious-that-is-what/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [Just because the Americans are so good at rattling out accessible and cheap junk food, nobody looks twice when it comes to their food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-oliver/just-because-the-americans-are-so-good-at-rattling-out-accessible-and/) [Jamie Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-oliver/) > [My parents don't care what Americans think of us; we just care what the other Indian people in our community think of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himanshu-suri/my-parents-don-t-care-what-americans-think-of-us-we-just-care-what/) [Himanshu Suri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himanshu-suri/) > [When Americans, who have no idea who I am, laugh at my jokes, it's exactly the same if someone loves you even if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gad-elmaleh/when-americans-who-have-no-idea-who-i-am-laugh-at-my-jokes-it-s/) [Gad Elmaleh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gad-elmaleh/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We Americans tend to be a prodigal lot. We are as careless with our personal resources as we are with the resources of nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-crook-de-camp/we-americans-tend-to-be-a-prodigal-lot-we-are-as-careless-with-our/) [Catherine Crook de Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-crook-de-camp/) > [Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/americans-will-put-up-with-anything-provided-it-doesn-t-block-traffic/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Most Americans believe in fairness; we believe that people should work hard but there should be a safety net. We believe in saving the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-maclean/most-americans-believe-in-fairness-we-believe-that-people-should-work/) [Nancy MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-maclean/) > [“Using a wide variety of media, we could demonstrate for our fellow Americans their anxieties, desires, insufficiencies, and frustrations--and how to assuage them all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-ferris/using-a-wide-variety-of-media-we-could-demonstrate-for-our-fellow/) [Joshua Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-ferris/) > [The Americans say that we are ungrateful-but I ask them for heaven's sake, what should we be grateful to them for-for murdering our fathers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walker/the-americans-say-that-we-are-ungrateful-but-i-ask-them-for-heaven-s/) [David Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walker/) > [So many Korean Americans like me came to this country with the hope of achieving their own American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-steel/so-many-korean-americans-like-me-came-to-this-country-with-the-hope/) [Michelle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-steel/) > [You are Americans. You love this country. Together we are entrusted with the principles that represent mankind's greatest political and social achievement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tsongas/you-are-americans-you-love-this-country-together-we-are-entrusted/) [Paul Tsongas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tsongas/) [Browse all 1,536 Americans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You will find the Americans much like the Greeks found the Romans: great, big, vulgar, bustling people more vigorous than we are and also more idle, with more unspoiled virtues but also more corrupt", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harold Macmillan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/you-will-find-the-americans-much-like-the-greeks-found-the-romans/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Americans" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/you-will-find-the-americans-much-like-the-greeks-found-the-romans/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/harold-macmillan-11133_americans_you-will-find-the-americans-much-like-th_174254.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/harold-macmillan-11133_americans_you-will-find-the-americans-much-like-th_174254.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88a/harold-macmillan-11133_americans_you-will-find-the-americans-much-like-th_174254.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You will find the Americans much like the Greeks found the Romans: great, big, vulgar, bustling people more…” — Harold Macmillan", "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": "Harold Macmillan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You will find the Americans much...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/you-will-find-the-americans-much-like-the-greeks-found-the-romans/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/you-will-find-the-americans-much-like-the-greeks-found-the-romans/#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 } } ] } ```