--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The American, by nature, is optimistic…" description: "\"The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly.\" — John F. Ken..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/john-f-kennedy-246_american-patriotic_the-american-by-nature-is-optimistic-he_382666.jpg" --- # The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is… ![“The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly.” quote by John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/john-f-kennedy-246_american-patriotic_the-american-by-nature-is-optimistic-he_382666.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/john-f-kennedy-246_american-patriotic_the-american-by-nature-is-optimistic-he_382666.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/john-f-kennedy-246_american-patriotic_the-american-by-nature-is-optimistic-he_382666.jpg) > “The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly.” [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) ## 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 naturally hopeful and inventive, thriving when tasked with great challenges. **In simple terms:** Optimism and invention drive American progress. Key Takeaway Harness optimism to tackle big projects. Themes optimism innovation national identity challenge Mood hopeful determined Type political inspirational When to use this quote - public policy - education - infrastructure projects - community initiatives Key Concepts civic duty entrepreneurship collective effort Questions to Reflect On - What big challenges can we now face? - How can we nurture optimism in society? A Different Perspective Optimism alone isn’t enough without resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-patriotism/) [Best american](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-american/) [Great presidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-presidents/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Inventor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inventor/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) [Optimistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimistic/) [Patriotic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotic/) [Pessimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimism/) ## Related quotes > [And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/and-so-my-fellow-americans-ask-not-what-your-country-can-do-for-you-2/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We shall pay any price, bear any burden, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-shall-pay-any-price-bear-any-burden-to-assure-the-survival-and-the/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We need an America with the wisdom of experience. But we must not let America grow old in spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/we-need-an-america-with-the-wisdom-of-experience-but-we-must-not-let/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [I believe in America because we have great dreams, and because we have the opportunity to make those dreams come true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-willkie/i-believe-in-america-because-we-have-great-dreams-and-because-we-have/) [Wendell Willkie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-willkie/) > [The winds that blow through the wide sky in these mounts, the winds that sweep from Canada to Mexico, from the Pacific to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/the-winds-that-blow-through-the-wide-sky-in-these-mounts-the-winds/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/my-god-how-little-do-my-countrymen-know-what-precious-blessings-they/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/i-m-proud-to-be-an-american-where-at-least-i-know-i-m-free/) [Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/) > [I can say that I am, by nature, optimistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/i-can-say-that-i-am-by-nature-optimistic/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [Art is by nature optimistic. Art is optimistic because it is alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/art-is-by-nature-optimistic-art-is-optimistic-because-it-is-alive/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I am inclined by nature to be optimistic about the capacity of a person to rise higher than he or she has thought possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/i-am-inclined-by-nature-to-be-optimistic-about-the-capacity-of-a/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [By nature, I'm an optimistic person. No one believes it, but I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-kramer/by-nature-i-m-an-optimistic-person-no-one-believes-it-but-i-am/) [Larry Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-kramer/) > [The artist is a kind of a seer and by nature he is optimistic because he believes in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-decarava/the-artist-is-a-kind-of-a-seer-and-by-nature-he-is-optimistic-because/) [Roy DeCarava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-decarava/) > [The best American writers have come from the hinterlands -- Mark Twain, Theodore Dreiser, Jack London, Hemingway, Faulkner, Wolfe, Steinbeck. Most of them never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/the-best-american-writers-have-come-from-the-hinterlands-mark-twain/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [I think the best American poetry is the poetry that utilizes the resources of poetry rather than exploits the defects or triumphs of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strand/i-think-the-best-american-poetry-is-the-poetry-that-utilizes-the/) [Mark Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strand/) > [I produced a play in New York that got nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best American Play.The play is called Stalking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-richman/i-produced-a-play-in-new-york-that-got-nominated-for-an-outer-critics/) [Adam Richman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-richman/) ## More by John F. Kennedy > [“We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-shall-pay-any-price-bear-any-burden-meet-any-hardship-support-any/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We stand today on the edge of a new frontier - the frontier of the 1960's - a frontier of unknown opportunities and perils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-stand-today-on-the-edge-of-a-new-frontier-the-frontier-of-the-1960/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We must recognize that every nation determines its policies in terms of its own interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-must-recognize-that-every-nation-determines-its-policies-in-terms/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Someone always needs rescuing, yet there's only one person who ever seems to understand you. It's a lot like being Lassie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/someone-always-needs-rescuing-yet-there-s-only-one-person-who-ever/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Student loans have been helpful to many. But they offer neither incentive nor assistance to those students who, by reason of family or other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/student-loans-have-been-helpful-to-many-but-they-offer-neither/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Great crises produce great men, and great deeds of courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/great-crises-produce-great-men-and-great-deeds-of-courage/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [There comes a point where you see no evidence that the carrot and diplomacy are working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/there-comes-a-point-where-you-see-no-evidence-that-the-carrot-and/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Suspicion on one side breeds suspicion on the other, and new weapons beget counter-weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/suspicion-on-one-side-breeds-suspicion-on-the-other-and-new-weapons/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We have some of the most influential Members of Congress here today, and I do hope that we can get this appropriation for these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-have-some-of-the-most-influential-members-of-congress-here-today/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Disarmament without checks is but a shadow - and a community without law is but a shell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/disarmament-without-checks-is-but-a-shadow-and-a-community-without/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [This is one country. It has become one country because all of us and all the people who came here had an equal chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/this-is-one-country-it-has-become-one-country-because-all-of-us-and/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [“The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/the-courage-of-life-is-often-a-less-dramatic-spectacle-than-the/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/washington-is-a-city-of-southern-efficiency-and-northern-charm/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all people. So let us not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/peace-does-not-rest-in-the-charters-and-covenants-alone-it-lies-in/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) [Explore all 824 John F. Kennedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) ## More American patriotic quotes > [Love your country. Your country is the land where your parents sleep, where is spoken that language in which the chosen of your heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-mazzini/love-your-country-your-country-is-the-land-where-your-parents-sleep/) [Giuseppe Mazzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-mazzini/) > [The average American is nothing if not patriotic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-croly/the-average-american-is-nothing-if-not-patriotic/) [Herbert Croly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-croly/) > [Our citizenship in the United States is our national character. Our citizenship in any particular state is only our local distinction. By the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/our-citizenship-in-the-united-states-is-our-national-character-our/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Some Americans need hyphens in their names because only part of them has come over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/some-americans-need-hyphens-in-their-names-because-only-part-of-them/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [When an American says that he loves his country, he means not only that he loves the New England hills, the prairies glistening in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adlai-e-stevenson/when-an-american-says-that-he-loves-his-country-he-means-not-only/) [Adlai E. Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adlai-e-stevenson/) > [As a loyal American and I think a patriotic American, no, I don't want Sarah Palin to be president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/as-a-loyal-american-and-i-think-a-patriotic-american-no-i-don-t-want/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [We live in a new and exceptional age. America is another word for Opportunity. Our whole history appears like a last effort of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-live-in-a-new-and-exceptional-age-america-is-another-word-for/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [When I die, I desire no better winding sheet than the Stars and Stripes, and no softer pillow than the Constitution of my country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-johnson/when-i-die-i-desire-no-better-winding-sheet-than-the-stars-and/) [Andrew Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-johnson/) > [Our great modern Republic. May those who seek the blessings of its institutions and the protection of its flag remember the obligations they impose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/our-great-modern-republic-may-those-who-seek-the-blessings-of-its/) [Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/) > [Don't you dare besmirch the name of Congress. They are patriotic Americans trying to dress and feed themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/don-t-you-dare-besmirch-the-name-of-congress-they-are-patriotic/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [Some Americans need hyphens in their names, because only part of them has come over; but when the whole man has come over, heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/some-americans-need-hyphens-in-their-names-because-only-part-of-them-2/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [You can be a patriotic American and be a critic, but then you're not expressing that kind of love that we're used to from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/you-can-be-a-patriotic-american-and-be-a-critic-but-then-you-re-not/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [We shall pay any price, bear any burden, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-shall-pay-any-price-bear-any-burden-to-assure-the-survival-and-the/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We identify the flag with almost everything we hold dear on earth, peace, security, liberty, our family, our friends, our home. . .But when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/we-identify-the-flag-with-almost-everything-we-hold-dear-on-earth/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [He loves his country best who strives to make it best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/he-loves-his-country-best-who-strives-to-make-it-best/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) Browse all 61 American patriotic quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John F. 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