--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We Americans are hard on almost…" description: "\"We Americans are hard on almost everything. We are hard on our vehicles, our marriages and our heroes. Mostly, however, we are hard on ourselves.\" — He..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1b/henry-rollins-170_america_we-americans-are-hard-on-almost-everythi_3053082.png" --- # We Americans are hard on almost everything. We are hard on… ![“We Americans are hard on almost everything. We are hard on our vehicles, our marriages and our heroes. Mostly, however, we are hard on ourselves.” quote by Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1b/henry-rollins-170_america_we-americans-are-hard-on-almost-everythi_3053082.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1b/henry-rollins-170_america_we-americans-are-hard-on-almost-everythi_3053082.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1b/henry-rollins-170_america_we-americans-are-hard-on-almost-everythi_3053082.png) > “We Americans are hard on almost everything. We are hard on our vehicles, our marriages and our heroes. Mostly, however, we are hard on ourselves.” [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Americans are critical of many things, especially themselves, reflecting a cultural tendency toward self‑scrutiny. **In simple terms:** We often judge ourselves hardest. Key Takeaway Practice self‑compassion. Themes self‑criticism culture self‑reflection Mood critical introspective Type cultural personal When to use this quote - relationships - society - personal development Key Concepts personal growth mental health social commentary Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance self‑improvement with self‑acceptance? - What benefits come from constructive self‑evaluation? A Different Perspective Self‑criticism can be paralyzing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroes/) ## Related quotes > [To me, Scorpio was a big bet and a quantum leap in the kind of sophistication of our products. People forget that, apart from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anand-mahindra/to-me-scorpio-was-a-big-bet-and-a-quantum-leap-in-the-kind-of/) [Anand Mahindra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anand-mahindra/) > [It's hard to find vehicles for your music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/it-s-hard-to-find-vehicles-for-your-music/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [Americans are hard working, innovative, proud people who want bad government policies and high taxes to get out of the way so they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-walberg/americans-are-hard-working-innovative-proud-people-who-want-bad/) [Tim Walberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-walberg/) > [Danes pay very high taxes, but in return enjoy a quality of life that many Americans would find hard to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/danes-pay-very-high-taxes-but-in-return-enjoy-a-quality-of-life-that/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Young people get very excited when they hear why they are Americans. It is not hard to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/young-people-get-very-excited-when-they-hear-why-they-are-americans/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [It's important for African-Americans to express themselves, period. We're 400 years behind. We should be able to shine whenever and however we feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jalen-rose/it-s-important-for-african-americans-to-express-themselves-period-we/) [Jalen Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jalen-rose/) > [I think Americans suffer for their lack of travel, awareness of the world. It has horribly warped our sense of place in the scheme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-americans-suffer-for-their-lack-of-travel-awareness-of-the/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [To me, the real 'state of the union' is found in how Americans react to current events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/to-me-the-real-state-of-the-union-is-found-in-how-americans-react-to/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I hit hard, and I'm hard to take down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kennedy/i-hit-hard-and-i-m-hard-to-take-down/) [Tim Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kennedy/) > [It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard...is what makes it great!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/it-s-supposed-to-be-hard-if-it-wasn-t-hard-everyone-would-do-it-the/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [“Women who do not play hard to get are hard to get.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/women-who-do-not-play-hard-to-get-are-hard-to-get/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Yes, it is hard out there. But hard is relative. I come from a middle-class family, my parents are academics. I was born after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shonda-rhimes/yes-it-is-hard-out-there-but-hard-is-relative-i-come-from-a-middle/) [Shonda Rhimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shonda-rhimes/) > [“Life is hard, but I can do hard things”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolescent-rehabilitation/life-is-hard-but-i-can-do-hard-things/) Adolescent Rehabilitation > [Hard to get hard to forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mctjc/hard-to-get-hard-to-forget/) Mctjc > [Dont be hard to get, be hard to forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana/dont-be-hard-to-get-be-hard-to-forget/) [Ana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana/) ## More by Henry Rollins > [I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-believe-that-one-defines-oneself-by-reinvention/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I think that one of the hardest things in the world to be is a black male. I mean everyone hates your guts. White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-that-one-of-the-hardest-things-in-the-world-to-be-is-a-black/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [In the summer of '84, you just couldn't escape the Born in the USA record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/in-the-summer-of-84-you-just-couldn-t-escape-the-born-in-the-usa/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [We spend millions of dollars to remove pain from our lives. It's why so many people get hooked on painkillers. The body becomes addicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/we-spend-millions-of-dollars-to-remove-pain-from-our-lives-it-s-why/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Sleep is for squares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/sleep-is-for-squares/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [There's a lot of mountain climbers trapped inside of bodies of people behind the counter at Kinko's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/there-s-a-lot-of-mountain-climbers-trapped-inside-of-bodies-of-people/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [If I lose the light of the sun, I will write by candlelight, moonlight, no light. If I lose paper and ink, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/if-i-lose-the-light-of-the-sun-i-will-write-by-candlelight-moonlight/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I was raised in Washington, DC, very violent place. I grew up with violence. My introduction to music was violent. The years I've spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-was-raised-in-washington-dc-very-violent-place-i-grew-up-with/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I feel pain everyday of my life. When you see me perform, it's that pain you're seeing coming out. I put all my emotions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-feel-pain-everyday-of-my-life-when-you-see-me-perform-it-s-that/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I feel close to people like Jimi Hendrix because I connect with his music. Not the man but what he did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-feel-close-to-people-like-jimi-hendrix-because-i-connect-with-his/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I don't believe in fate or destiny. I believe in various degrees of hatred, paranoia, and abandonment. However much of that gets heaped upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-don-t-believe-in-fate-or-destiny-i-believe-in-various-degrees-of/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Young, gay and stuck in Arkansas? Sounds like a horror flick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/young-gay-and-stuck-in-arkansas-sounds-like-a-horror-flick/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I was never told to "Get up, get out there, get a job." It was never a thing either parent ever said I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-was-never-told-to-get-up-get-out-there-get-a-job-it-was-never-a/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [There's no retirement, there's just a few years of non-work by the fire with someone bringing you some tea and relative peace and playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/there-s-no-retirement-there-s-just-a-few-years-of-non-work-by-the/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I love being a storyteller. I love telling stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-love-being-a-storyteller-i-love-telling-stories/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) [Explore all 1,006 Henry Rollins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We Americans are hard on almost everything. We are hard on our vehicles, our marriages and our heroes. Mostly, however, we are hard on ourselves.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry Rollins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/we-americans-are-hard-on-almost-everything-we-are-hard-on-our/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/we-americans-are-hard-on-almost-everything-we-are-hard-on-our/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1b/henry-rollins-170_america_we-americans-are-hard-on-almost-everythi_3053082.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1b/henry-rollins-170_america_we-americans-are-hard-on-almost-everythi_3053082.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1b/henry-rollins-170_america_we-americans-are-hard-on-almost-everythi_3053082.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We Americans are hard on almost everything. We are hard on our vehicles, our marriages and our heroes…” — Henry Rollins", "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": "Henry Rollins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We Americans are hard on almost...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/we-americans-are-hard-on-almost-everything-we-are-hard-on-our/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/we-americans-are-hard-on-almost-everything-we-are-hard-on-our/#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 } } ] } ```