--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let's make no mistake about this: The…" description: "\"“Let's make no mistake about this: The American Dream starts with the neighborhoods. If we wish to rebuild our cities, we must first rebuild our neighb..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/harvey-milk-9963_american-dream_let-s-make-no-mistake-about-this-the-ame_25517.jpg" --- # Let's make no mistake about this: The American Dream… ![“Let's make no mistake about this: The American Dream starts with the neighborhoods. If we wish to rebuild our cities, we must first rebuild our neighborhoods. And to do that, we must understand that the quality of life is more important than the standard of living. To sit on the front…” quote by Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/harvey-milk-9963_american-dream_let-s-make-no-mistake-about-this-the-ame_25517.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/harvey-milk-9963_american-dream_let-s-make-no-mistake-about-this-the-ame_25517.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/harvey-milk-9963_american-dream_let-s-make-no-mistake-about-this-the-ame_25517.jpg) > ““Let's make no mistake about this: The American Dream starts with the neighborhoods. If we wish to rebuild our cities, we must first rebuild our neighborhoods. And to do that, we must understand that the quality of life is more important than the standard of living. To sit on the front steps--whether it's a veranda in a small town or a concrete stoop in a big city--and to talk to our neighborhoods is infinitely more important than to huddle on the living-room lounger and watch a make-believe world in not-quite living color. ... And I hardly need to tell you that in the 19- or 24-inch view of the world, cleanliness has long since eclipsed godliness. Soon we'll all smell, look, and actually be laboratory clean, as sterile on the inside as on the out. The perfect consumer, surrounded by the latest appliances. The perfect audience, with a ringside seat to almost any event in the world, without smell, without taste, without feel--alone and unhappy in the vast wasteland of our living rooms. I think that what we actually need, of course, is a little more dirt on the seat of our pants as we sit on the front stoop and talk to our neighbors once again, enjoying the type of summer day where the smell of garlic travels slightly faster than the speed of sound.”” [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) ## 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 argues that genuine community connection and neighborhood vitality are essential to the American Dream, outweighing material comforts and isolated entertainment. **In simple terms:** Community beats consumerism. Key Takeaway Prioritize local interaction over digital isolation. Themes Community Urban Renewal Quality of Life Social Connection Consumer Culture Mood Nostalgic Reflective Hopeful Type Social commentary Urban critique When to use this quote - City revitalization meetings - Neighborhood block parties - Local civic forums - Community garden projects - Street-level social gatherings Key Concepts Neighborhoods Public Spaces Social Capital Urban Planning Practical Applications - Designing public spaces that encourage face-to-face interaction - Policy initiatives that fund neighborhood improvements Questions to Reflect On - How can modern technology enhance rather than replace neighborhood bonds? - What policies best support sustainable, inclusive community spaces? A Different Perspective null ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-dream/) [Big city](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-city/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Harvey-milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harvey-milk-79549/) [Lgbt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lgbt/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Neighborhoods Understand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighborhoods-understand-410514/) [Neighborhoods Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighborhoods-wish-410513/) [Quality of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality-of-life/) [Rebuild Neighborhoods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebuild-neighborhoods-410512/) [Small town](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-town/) [Talk Neighborhoods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-neighborhoods-410515/) ## Related quotes > [If we wish to rebuild our cities, we must first rebuild our neighborhoods. And to do that, we must understand that the quality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/if-we-wish-to-rebuild-our-cities-we-must-first-rebuild-our-2/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [To sit on the front steps — whether it's a veranda in a small town or a concrete stoop in a big city —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/to-sit-on-the-front-steps-whether-it-s-a-veranda-in-a-small-town-or-a/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [“The only thing they have to look forward to is hope. And you have to give them hope. Hope for a better world, hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/the-only-thing-they-have-to-look-forward-to-is-hope-and-you-have-to/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [Lets make no mistake about this: The American Dream starts with the neigborhoods. If we wish to rebuild our cities, we must first rebuild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/lets-make-no-mistake-about-this-the-american-dream-starts-with-the/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [If we wish to rebuild our cities, we must first rebuild our neighborhoods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/if-we-wish-to-rebuild-our-cities-we-must-first-rebuild-our/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [My experiences growing up - my father lived in New York, so I was going out there in the summers and meeting really interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/my-experiences-growing-up-my-father-lived-in-new-york-so-i-was-going/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [“When you live in New York or any big city, it is easy to fail at growing up. The city is designed to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/when-you-live-in-new-york-or-any-big-city-it-is-easy-to-fail-at/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [I have always loved Manhattan, the bright lights, the big city!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-farr/i-have-always-loved-manhattan-the-bright-lights-the-big-city/) [Hilary Farr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-farr/) > [“She said that certain facts are accessible only from one point of view – the point of view of the creature who experiences them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/she-said-that-certain-facts-are-accessible-only-from-one-point-of/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [I think the Netherlands will become one big city at a point. It is inevitable when you live in a country with so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-jansen/i-think-the-netherlands-will-become-one-big-city-at-a-point-it-is/) [Theo Jansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-jansen/) > [I wasn't one of those kids who was like, 'Get me to New York. Get me to a big city.' I was always much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-allen/i-wasn-t-one-of-those-kids-who-was-like-get-me-to-new-york-get-me-to/) [Joan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-allen/) > [“Taste is a matter of taste.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/taste-is-a-matter-of-taste/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [I grew up in New York City. We used to diss Long Island and Jersey. Every big city has its own suburb like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-joseph/i-grew-up-in-new-york-city-we-used-to-diss-long-island-and-jersey/) [Max Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-joseph/) > [“Looking at and 'appreciating' art has been understood as an instrument (or at best a result) of upward mobility, in which owning art is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-r-lippard/looking-at-and-appreciating-art-has-been-understood-as-an-instrument/) [Lucy R. Lippard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-r-lippard/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) ## More by Harvey Milk > [Some people call me the unofficial mayor of Castro Street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/some-people-call-me-the-unofficial-mayor-of-castro-street/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [We will not win our rights by staying quietly in our closets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/we-will-not-win-our-rights-by-staying-quietly-in-our-closets/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [If it were true that children mimicked their teachers, you'd sure have a helluva lot more nuns running around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/if-it-were-true-that-children-mimicked-their-teachers-you-d-sure-have/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [Never take an elevator in city hall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/never-take-an-elevator-in-city-hall/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [Out of the bars and into the streets!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/out-of-the-bars-and-into-the-streets/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [Rights are won only by those who make their voices heard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/rights-are-won-only-by-those-who-make-their-voices-heard/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [We are coming out to tell the truths about gays, for I am tired of the conspiracy of silence, so I'm going to talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/we-are-coming-out-to-tell-the-truths-about-gays-for-i-am-tired-of-the/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [The first gay people we elect must be strong. They must not be content to sit in the back of the bus. They must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/the-first-gay-people-we-elect-must-be-strong-they-must-not-be-content/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [Let me have my tax money go for my protection and not for my prosecution. Let my tax money go for the protection of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/let-me-have-my-tax-money-go-for-my-protection-and-not-for-my/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [I wish I had time to explain everything I did. Almost everything was done with an eye on the GLBT movement...last week I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/i-wish-i-had-time-to-explain-everything-i-did-almost-everything-was/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [Freedom is too enormous to be slipped under a closet door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/freedom-is-too-enormous-to-be-slipped-under-a-closet-door/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [It takes no compromising to give people their rights. It takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no survey to remove repressions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/it-takes-no-compromising-to-give-people-their-rights-it-takes-no/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [If I turned around every time somebody called me a faggot, I'd be walking backward - and I don't want to walk backward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/if-i-turned-around-every-time-somebody-called-me-a-faggot-i-d-be/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [“You’ve gotta give them hope. If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/you-ve-gotta-give-them-hope-if-a-bullet-should-enter-my-brain-let/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [I'm a small businessman and I'm well aware of the uncertainties of the economy, exactly what the 'inflationary spiral' means when I'm forced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/i-m-a-small-businessman-and-i-m-well-aware-of-the-uncertainties-of/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) [Explore all 69 Harvey Milk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) ## More American dream quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [Are we a nation of guarantees or are we a nation of opportunities to achieve the American dream?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mcdonnell/are-we-a-nation-of-guarantees-or-are-we-a-nation-of-opportunities-to/) [Bob McDonnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-mcdonnell/) > [I believe keeping our promises should be our highest priority and that means saving Social Security and Medicare while preserving the American dream for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-coburn/i-believe-keeping-our-promises-should-be-our-highest-priority-and/) [Tom Coburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-coburn/) > [Our families and our homes are the center of American life, Everything we do is to make those homes-and the lives in them-more beautiful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/our-families-and-our-homes-are-the-center-of-american-life-everything/) [Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/) > [I want people to know where I come from. I think I have come really far from that, and I did it on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aj-lee/i-want-people-to-know-where-i-come-from-i-think-i-have-come-really/) [AJ Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aj-lee/) > [We need to remain a nation that doesn't just welcome but that celebrates legal immigrants who come here seeking to pursue the American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/we-need-to-remain-a-nation-that-doesn-t-just-welcome-but-that/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [By disgracing and degrading the presidency of the United States, by fleeing the White House like a diseased cur, Richard Nixon broke the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/by-disgracing-and-degrading-the-presidency-of-the-united-states-by/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [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/) > [As a kid, I learned from my parents, teachers, coaches, and friends that what mattered most was Truth - to uncover it, share it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiva-ayyadurai/as-a-kid-i-learned-from-my-parents-teachers-coaches-and-friends-that/) [Shiva Ayyadurai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiva-ayyadurai/) > [Theres a zoom up in the TV screen Living cancer to our self-esteem yea Cause if this an airless beauty queen But everything aint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valentinooo-c/theres-a-zoom-up-in-the-tv-screen-living-cancer-to-our-self-esteem/) [Valentinooo\_c](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valentinooo-c/) > [College is part of the American dream. It shouldnt be part of a financial nightmare for families](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mikulski/college-is-part-of-the-american-dream-it-shouldnt-be-part-of-a/) [Barbara Mikulski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mikulski/) > [“New Rule: Americans must realize what makes NFL football so great: socialism. That's right, the NFL takes money from the rich teams and gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-americans-must-realize-what-makes-nfl-football-so-great/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I believe it from the bottom of my heart, and your sons and daughters, too, can have the American dream come true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-a-ribicoff/i-believe-it-from-the-bottom-of-my-heart-and-your-sons-and-daughters/) [Abraham A. Ribicoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-a-ribicoff/) > [I dare to imagine a country where every child I hold in my hands, are all God's children, regardless of the color of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wellstone/i-dare-to-imagine-a-country-where-every-child-i-hold-in-my-hands-are/) [Paul Wellstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wellstone/) > [The faith that anyone could move from rags to riches - with enough guts and gumption, hard work and nose to the grindstone -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/the-faith-that-anyone-could-move-from-rags-to-riches-with-enough-guts/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) [Browse all 1,001 American dream quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-dream/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Let's make no mistake about this: The American Dream starts with the neighborhoods. If we wish to rebuild our cities, we must first rebuild our neighborhoods. And to do that, we must understand that the quality of life is more important than the standard of living. To sit on the front steps--whether it's a veranda in a small town or a concrete stoop in a big city--and to talk to our neighborhoods is infinitely more important than to huddle on the living-room lounger and watch a make-believe world in not-quite living color. ... And I hardly need to tell you that in the 19- or 24-inch view of the world, cleanliness has long since eclipsed godliness. Soon we'll all smell, look, and actually be laboratory clean, as sterile on the inside as on the out. The perfect consumer, surrounded by the latest appliances. The perfect audience, with a ringside seat to almost any event in the world, without smell, without taste, without feel--alone and unhappy in the vast wasteland of our living rooms. I think that what we actually need, of course, is a little more dirt on the seat of our pants as we sit on the front stoop and talk to our neighbors once again, enjoying the type of summer day where the smell of garlic travels slightly faster than the speed of sound.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harvey Milk" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/let-s-make-no-mistake-about-this-the-american-dream-starts-with-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American dream" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/let-s-make-no-mistake-about-this-the-american-dream-starts-with-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/harvey-milk-9963_american-dream_let-s-make-no-mistake-about-this-the-ame_25517.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/harvey-milk-9963_american-dream_let-s-make-no-mistake-about-this-the-ame_25517.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/harvey-milk-9963_american-dream_let-s-make-no-mistake-about-this-the-ame_25517.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Let's make no mistake about this: The American Dream starts with the neighborhoods. If we wish to rebuild…” — Harvey Milk", "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": "Harvey Milk", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Let's make no mistake about this:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/let-s-make-no-mistake-about-this-the-american-dream-starts-with-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/let-s-make-no-mistake-about-this-the-american-dream-starts-with-the/#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 } } ] } ```