Country Quote by Horace Greeley
“Washington is not a place to live in. The rents are high, the food is bad, the dust is disgusting and the morals are deplorable. Go West, young man, go West and grow up with the country.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Editorial, New York Tribune, 1850
Washington is portrayed as undesirable, urging migration westward for better life and values.
In simple terms: Washington is bad; go west for a better life.
Key Takeaway
Seek opportunities elsewhere.
Themes
migration
urban critique
American frontier
Mood
critical
optimistic
Type
historical
motivational
When to use this quote
- seeking better living conditions
- career relocation
- family settlement
- political activism
- urban planning
Key Concepts
American expansionism
social criticism
Questions to Reflect On
- What would you sacrifice to move?
- How realistic is the ideal of the West?
A Different Perspective
Western migration may face unknown hardships.
![“That country [Carthage] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws; and every step of intestine discord was marked by some deplorable victory of savage man over civilized society.” quote by Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/70c/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinkin_393.jpg)
