---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If America is to be great in the future…"
description: "\"If America is to be great in the future, it will be if we understand that our source is not civic and temporal, but our source is godly and eternal.\" —..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/549/john-ashcroft-9612_america_if-america-is-to-be-great-in-the-future_2802495.jpg"
---

#  If America is to be great in the future, it will be if we…

![“If America is to be great in the future, it will be if we understand that our source is not civic and temporal, but our source is godly and eternal.” quote by John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/549/john-ashcroft-9612_america_if-america-is-to-be-great-in-the-future_2802495.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/549/john-ashcroft-9612_america_if-america-is-to-be-great-in-the-future_2802495.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/549/john-ashcroft-9612_america_if-america-is-to-be-great-in-the-future_2802495.jpg)

> “If America is to be great in the future, it will be if we understand that our source is not civic and temporal, but our source is godly and eternal.”

[John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

America's greatness depends on recognizing divine, eternal foundations over temporary civic ones

**In simple terms:** Greatness comes from spiritual, timeless values, not just civic structures

Key Takeaway

Seek enduring spiritual principles beyond politics

Themes

faith eternity national identity

Mood

contemplative inspirational

Type

theological political

When to use this quote

- religious communities
- political leadership
- public policy
- education

Key Concepts

theology philosophy civic responsibility

Questions to Reflect On

- What role should faith play in public life?
- How balance spiritual and civic values?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on divine source may marginalize secular perspectives

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Civics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civics/) [Eternal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal/) [Godly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/godly/) [Great future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-future/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Throughout my life, I have been fascinated by predictability and frustrated by our inability to predict. I don't believe it makes sense for our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lennart-bengtsson/throughout-my-life-i-have-been-fascinated-by-predictability-and/)

Lennart Bengtsson

> [Those that innovate the future understand history the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/those-that-innovate-the-future-understand-history-the-best/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [“Will the man of the future understand us as we are today? He distractedly, with some distracted tenderness, will pet our head as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/will-the-man-of-the-future-understand-us-as-we-are-today-he/)

[Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/)

> [Man can only be certain about the present moment. But is that quite true either? Can he really know the present? Is he in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/man-can-only-be-certain-about-the-present-moment-but-is-that-quite/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [“People who have been there forever, left to their own devices, are rarely in the best position to design the future. It’s those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-kadakia/people-who-have-been-there-forever-left-to-their-own-devices-are/)

[Crystal Kadakia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-kadakia/)

> [I began to realize something - to understand the future you have to understand physics. Physics of the last century gave us television, radio,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/i-began-to-realize-something-to-understand-the-future-you-have-to/)

[Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/)

> [Unique among the nations, America recognized the source of our character as being godly and eternal, not being civic and temporal. And because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/unique-among-the-nations-america-recognized-the-source-of-our/)

[John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

> [“The next day, he read to me a freshly composed dirge in which the circumstances of his wife’s death and burial were commemorated. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/the-next-day-he-read-to-me-a-freshly-composed-dirge-in-which-the/)

[Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/)

> [“Create a great future. Be happy NOW.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-flindt/create-a-great-future-be-happy-now/)

[Thomas Flindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-flindt/)

> [ James \[Wilson\] has a great future ahead of him. Everyone can see he has a great left foot, it's incredible the way he can… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-mata/james-wilson-has-a-great-future-ahead-of-him-everyone-can-see-he-has/)

[Juan Mata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-mata/)

> [To make a great future India, the whole secret lies in organization, accumulation of power, co-ordination of wills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/to-make-a-great-future-india-the-whole-secret-lies-in-organization/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [If we do our best and make efforts, a peaceful and great future will become ours without fail. Whether we succeed or not depends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akio-morita/if-we-do-our-best-and-make-efforts-a-peaceful-and-great-future-will/)

[Akio Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akio-morita/)

> [I am walking today because of chiropractic care I received years ago. I predict a great future for the science of chiropractic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-dixon/i-am-walking-today-because-of-chiropractic-care-i-received-years-ago/)

[Jeane Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-dixon/)

> [James was truly an unknown quantity. He was really, physically drained in the spring and he got dinged in the fall. We brought him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-hoeppner/james-was-truly-an-unknown-quantity-he-was-really-physically-drained/)

Terry Hoeppner

> [The Iranian people have a proud past. They merit a great future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-iranian-people-have-a-proud-past-they-merit-a-great-future/)

[Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/)

## More by John Ashcroft

> [An FBI agent ought to be able to surf the net and look for sites that instruct people how to make bombs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/an-fbi-agent-ought-to-be-able-to-surf-the-net-and-look-for-sites-that/)

[John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

> [The FBI has long been a part of the security for the nation's banks because bank robberies have been a priority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/the-fbi-has-long-been-a-part-of-the-security-for-the-nation-s-banks/)

[John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

> [Our priorities should be: recognizing the voice of God and responding to the voice of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/our-priorities-should-be-recognizing-the-voice-of-god-and-responding/)

[John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

> [People who commit crimes should be responsible for those crimes. It doesn't matter whether they're priests or ministers or atheists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/people-who-commit-crimes-should-be-responsible-for-those-crimes-it/)

[John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

> [I decided this early on at Justice: if the traditional way was the most effective way of doing something, then we'd maintain it. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/i-decided-this-early-on-at-justice-if-the-traditional-way-was-the/)

[John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

> [We must not descend to the level of those who perpetrated Tuesday's violence by targeting individuals based on their race, their religion, or their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/we-must-not-descend-to-the-level-of-those-who-perpetrated-tuesday-s/)

[John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

> [We've got a major problem in our culture, as it relates to the Internet and pornography and child pornography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/we-ve-got-a-major-problem-in-our-culture-as-it-relates-to-the/)

[John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

> [The FBI. is a massive culture. It's been a culture that served America well, and it's been focused on prosecution. But what we need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/the-fbi-is-a-massive-culture-it-s-been-a-culture-that-served-america/)

[John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

> [Any citizen who's offended ... can leave the service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/any-citizen-who-s-offended-can-leave-the-service/)

[John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

> [I feel the best way to ensure Americans' freedom is to tighten restrictions on that freedom in any way possible. Only through wiretaps, illegal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/i-feel-the-best-way-to-ensure-americans-freedom-is-to-tighten/)

[John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

> [Frankly, the president, during the first opportunity I had to be in a Cabinet meeting, before we started the meeting, he said, Folks, before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/frankly-the-president-during-the-first-opportunity-i-had-to-be-in-a/)

[John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

> [Nothing remains great without a capacity to change and to accommodate the conditions of a changing world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/nothing-remains-great-without-a-capacity-to-change-and-to-accommodate/)

[John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

> [Unique among the nations, America recognized the source of our character as being godly and eternal, not being civic and temporal. And because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/unique-among-the-nations-america-recognized-the-source-of-our/)

[John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

> [What did John Ashcroft say about moderates, he said, quote, there are two things you find in the middle of the road, a moderate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/what-did-john-ashcroft-say-about-moderates-he-said-quote-there-are/)

[John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

> [We must embrace the power of faith, but we must never confuse politics and piety. For me, may I say that it is against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/we-must-embrace-the-power-of-faith-but-we-must-never-confuse-politics/)

[John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

[Explore all 71 John Ashcroft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/)

## 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": "If America is to be great in the future, it will be if we understand that our source is not civic and temporal, but our source is godly and eternal.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Ashcroft"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/if-america-is-to-be-great-in-the-future-it-will-be-if-we-understand/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "America"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/if-america-is-to-be-great-in-the-future-it-will-be-if-we-understand/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/549/john-ashcroft-9612_america_if-america-is-to-be-great-in-the-future_2802495.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/549/john-ashcroft-9612_america_if-america-is-to-be-great-in-the-future_2802495.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/549/john-ashcroft-9612_america_if-america-is-to-be-great-in-the-future_2802495.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If America is to be great in the future, it will be if we understand that our source is not civic and…” — John Ashcroft",
                "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": "John Ashcroft",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If America is to be great...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/if-america-is-to-be-great-in-the-future-it-will-be-if-we-understand/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/if-america-is-to-be-great-in-the-future-it-will-be-if-we-understand/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
