--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wouldn't it help Americans more, in the…" description: "\"Wouldn't it help Americans more, in the long run, if we were forced to accept some responsibility for the environmental wreckage we prefer to assume is..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/470/jane-velez-mitchell-7722_accept_wouldn-t-it-help-americans-more-in-the-l_2328346.jpg" --- # Wouldn't it help Americans more, in the long run, if we… ![“Wouldn't it help Americans more, in the long run, if we were forced to accept some responsibility for the environmental wreckage we prefer to assume is totally out of our control?” quote by Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/470/jane-velez-mitchell-7722_accept_wouldn-t-it-help-americans-more-in-the-l_2328346.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/470/jane-velez-mitchell-7722_accept_wouldn-t-it-help-americans-more-in-the-l_2328346.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/470/jane-velez-mitchell-7722_accept_wouldn-t-it-help-americans-more-in-the-l_2328346.jpg) > “Wouldn't it help Americans more, in the long run, if we were forced to accept some responsibility for the environmental wreckage we prefer to assume is totally out of our control?” [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker argues that forcing Americans to accept responsibility for environmental damage could lead to better long‑term outcomes. **In simple terms:** Accepting responsibility can improve environmental stewardship. Key Takeaway Encourage personal accountability for ecological impact. Themes environment responsibility policy ethics Mood concerned determined Type activist persuasive When to use this quote - public policy - education - community initiatives Key Concepts sustainability collective action Questions to Reflect On - What would motivate you to take responsibility for the planet? - How can societies balance accountability with support? A Different Perspective People may resist perceived guilt or blame. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Environmental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental/) [Help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) ## Related quotes > [“Corporate Responsibility; Environmental Preservation; Consumer Protection; Sex & Race Discrimination (they must mean Sex and Race Liberation ).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cage/corporate-responsibility-environmental-preservation-consumer/) [John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cage/) > [We are focused on Main Street, on supporting economic conditions - plentiful jobs and stable prices - that help all Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/we-are-focused-on-main-street-on-supporting-economic-conditions/) [Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/) > [Working together, we can help Americans get back on their feet and make businesses more competitive to allow them to hire and expand again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-boustany/working-together-we-can-help-americans-get-back-on-their-feet-and/) [Charles Boustany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-boustany/) > [Given the tools, resources and opportunities to help, more Americans can use their time, talent, voice and money to meet the critical needs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-bush/given-the-tools-resources-and-opportunities-to-help-more-americans/) [Neil Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-bush/) > [We should set a national goal of making computers and Internet access available for every American . . . we must help all Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-should-set-a-national-goal-of-making-computers-and-internet-access/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When Mr.Trump says he wants to help all Americans, he means he wants to help all Americans in the 1% by really letting Wall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/when-mr-trump-says-he-wants-to-help-all-americans-he-means-he-wants/) [Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/) > [Programs like food stamps, unemployment insurance, Medicaid, and job retraining help Americans get back on their feet when they are down and out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-johnson/programs-like-food-stamps-unemployment-insurance-medicaid-and-job/) [Hank Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-johnson/) > [“well here is a good quote, "Why wouldn't they help me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/well-here-is-a-good-quote-why-wouldn-t-they-help-me/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [I'm a golfaholic. And all the counseling in the world wouldn't help me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-trevino/i-m-a-golfaholic-and-all-the-counseling-in-the-world-wouldn-t-help-me/) [Lee Trevino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-trevino/) > [Why wouldn't I help? What good reason do I have as a human being with power and a sense of empathy and morality, why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/why-wouldn-t-i-help-what-good-reason-do-i-have-as-a-human-being-with/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Crying wouldn't help anything now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/crying-wouldn-t-help-anything-now/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [If you saw a dog going to be crushed under a car, wouldn’t you help him?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oskar-schindler/if-you-saw-a-dog-going-to-be-crushed-under-a-car-wouldn-t-you-help-him/) [Oskar Schindler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oskar-schindler/) > [If only you understood the way I felt... it wouldn't help much because I don't really like you as a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/if-only-you-understood-the-way-i-felt-it-wouldn-t-help-much-because-i/) [Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/) > [I never said, 'I wouldn't help a cricketer if he approaches me.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-dev/i-never-said-i-wouldn-t-help-a-cricketer-if-he-approaches-me/) [Kapil Dev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-dev/) > [But I am weirdly healthy, so I don’t beat myself up about it—it wouldn’t help, and I don’t want to pass that on to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-m/but-i-am-weirdly-healthy-so-i-don-t-beat-myself-up-about-it-it-wouldn/) [Melissa M](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-m/) ## More by Jane Velez-Mitchell > [There's no better feeling in the world than knowing that my show played a role in stopping animal abuse or alleviating animal suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/there-s-no-better-feeling-in-the-world-than-knowing-that-my-show/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [We have got to stop being a society that turns our heads and looks the other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/we-have-got-to-stop-being-a-society-that-turns-our-heads-and-looks/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [I am what I want. What I seek to consume, possess, and achieve is a mirror that reflects my lusts and cravings, values and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/i-am-what-i-want-what-i-seek-to-consume-possess-and-achieve-is-a/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [I love working with PETA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/i-love-working-with-peta/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [How is justice served if the victim and the accused are working together to make it all go away? Somebody please explain that to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/how-is-justice-served-if-the-victim-and-the-accused-are-working/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [What's it like to figure out you're gay and then begin the process of coming out? Well, for most of my life, I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/what-s-it-like-to-figure-out-you-re-gay-and-then-begin-the-process-of/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [Unfortunately, addicts don't respond to reason or rationality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/unfortunately-addicts-don-t-respond-to-reason-or-rationality/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [When you're in the closet, you feel like the sky will fall down if anyone finds out. A lot of the fear is self-generated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/when-you-re-in-the-closet-you-feel-like-the-sky-will-fall-down-if/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [Nature did not put whales on this earth to splash kids while stuck in a pen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/nature-did-not-put-whales-on-this-earth-to-splash-kids-while-stuck-in/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [Now, Spitzer was an anti-crime crusader cracking down on prostitution and Wall Street corruption. So some people were looking to take him down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/now-spitzer-was-an-anti-crime-crusader-cracking-down-on-prostitution/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [Obesity affects every aspect of a people's lives, from health to relationships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/obesity-affects-every-aspect-of-a-people-s-lives-from-health-to/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [The killer whale Tilikum has helped SeaWorld sell millions of dollars worth of tickets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/the-killer-whale-tilikum-has-helped-seaworld-sell-millions-of-dollars/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [I dream of a post-racial society that is not categorized by the color of their skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/i-dream-of-a-post-racial-society-that-is-not-categorized-by-the-color/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [What does homophobia look like when it's stripped bare of fancy costumes like family values and tradition? It looks like that group of strange,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/what-does-homophobia-look-like-when-it-s-stripped-bare-of-fancy/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) > [If you know something is morally reprehensible, then it is your moral obligation to stop it as soon as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/if-you-know-something-is-morally-reprehensible-then-it-is-your-moral/) [Jane Velez-Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) [Explore all 88 Jane Velez-Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/) ## More Accept quotes > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [The fans can accept a poor performance, but they won't take it when you choose not to put in the effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pep-guardiola/the-fans-can-accept-a-poor-performance-but-they-won-t-take-it-when/) [Pep Guardiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pep-guardiola/) > [“See, I know what they think about me. That I’m some project. And, yeah, I’ll accept their help. But I’m gonna pay my way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/see-i-know-what-they-think-about-me-that-i-m-some-project-and-yeah-i/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [If you're disabled or different from what general society deems normal, it's fine. There will always be people who won't accept you, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-simmonds/if-you-re-disabled-or-different-from-what-general-society-deems/) [Millicent Simmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-simmonds/) > [Things don't go on forever, and the quicker you accept that change is inevitable, the happier you're gonna be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-anastasio/things-don-t-go-on-forever-and-the-quicker-you-accept-that-change-is/) [Trey Anastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-anastasio/) > [It's very important to me that people accept me as a transgendered female. But it's ridiculous to a lot of people and I understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-arquette/it-s-very-important-to-me-that-people-accept-me-as-a-transgendered/) [Alexis Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-arquette/) > [I've always taken care of myself, and I'm a non-conformist, so I don't accept the negativity that comes with birthdays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-van-dam/i-ve-always-taken-care-of-myself-and-i-m-a-non-conformist-so-i-don-t/) [Rob Van Dam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-van-dam/) > [Not harder than it should be, no. We're about the business, we're about the work. It's all about the work, always. We have fun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-fuqua/not-harder-than-it-should-be-no-we-re-about-the-business-we-re-about/) [Antoine Fuqua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-fuqua/) > [I wish I could just accept that I'm not that good and not be shy about the fact that I'm not that professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-gainsbourg/i-wish-i-could-just-accept-that-i-m-not-that-good-and-not-be-shy/) [Charlotte Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-gainsbourg/) > [I cannot accept being silent in the face of injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-crockett/i-cannot-accept-being-silent-in-the-face-of-injustice/) [Jasmine Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-crockett/) > [“I hope there is less stigma and judgment against working moms and childless career women. All should be acceptable positions and society should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chan-heng-chee/i-hope-there-is-less-stigma-and-judgment-against-working-moms-and/) Chan Heng Chee > [“Of course I can accept you for who you are. You are someone I need to change.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-glasbergen/of-course-i-can-accept-you-for-who-you-are-you-are-someone-i-need-to/) [Randy Glasbergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-glasbergen/) > [I can't be that kind of person others want me to be.I know I can't please everybody for just being me But I'm glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix/i-can-t-be-that-kind-of-person-others-want-me-to-be-i-know-i-can-t/) [Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix/) > [I don't care who you are,Where you from,As long as you love me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mks-vibz/i-don-t-care-who-you-are-where-you-from-as-long-as-you-love-me/) [Mks Vibz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mks-vibz/) Browse all 2,963 Accept quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Wouldn't it help Americans more, in the long run, if we were forced to accept some responsibility for the environmental wreckage we prefer to assume is totally out of our control?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jane Velez-Mitchell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/wouldn-t-it-help-americans-more-in-the-long-run-if-we-were-forced-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accept" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/wouldn-t-it-help-americans-more-in-the-long-run-if-we-were-forced-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/470/jane-velez-mitchell-7722_accept_wouldn-t-it-help-americans-more-in-the-l_2328346.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/470/jane-velez-mitchell-7722_accept_wouldn-t-it-help-americans-more-in-the-l_2328346.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/470/jane-velez-mitchell-7722_accept_wouldn-t-it-help-americans-more-in-the-l_2328346.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Wouldn't it help Americans more, in the long run, if we were forced to accept some responsibility for the…” — Jane Velez-Mitchell", "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": "Jane Velez-Mitchell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-velez-mitchell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Wouldn't it help Americans more, in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/wouldn-t-it-help-americans-more-in-the-long-run-if-we-were-forced-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-velez-mitchell/wouldn-t-it-help-americans-more-in-the-long-run-if-we-were-forced-to/#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 } } ] } ```