--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: America didn't invent human rights. Those…" description: "\"America didn't invent human rights. Those rights are common to all people: nations, cultures, and religions cannot choose to simply opt out of them.\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/john-mccain-465_america_america-didn-t-invent-human-rights-those_2823822.png" --- # America didn't invent human rights. Those rights are… ![“America didn't invent human rights. Those rights are common to all people: nations, cultures, and religions cannot choose to simply opt out of them.” quote by John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/john-mccain-465_america_america-didn-t-invent-human-rights-those_2823822.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/john-mccain-465_america_america-didn-t-invent-human-rights-those_2823822.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/john-mccain-465_america_america-didn-t-invent-human-rights-those_2823822.png) > “America didn't invent human rights. Those rights are common to all people: nations, cultures, and religions cannot choose to simply opt out of them.” [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human rights are universal, not invented by any nation; they cannot be abandoned. **In simple terms:** Human rights belong to everyone. Key Takeaway Defend universal rights. Themes human rights universality politics ethics Mood serious determined Type political ethical When to use this quote - policy debates - international law - activism Key Concepts legal frameworks global justice Questions to Reflect On - Do you think any culture can justly reject universal rights? - How can societies balance tradition with universal standards? A Different Perspective Some argue cultural relativism challenges universality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-rights/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) ## Related quotes > [People have no human rights, only the rights that they can gain on the labour market. Above all, wealth and power have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/people-have-no-human-rights-only-the-rights-that-they-can-gain-on-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It does not matter what country we live in, who our leaders are, or even who we are. Because we are human, we therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-does-not-matter-what-country-we-live-in-who-our-leaders-are-or/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [In a composite Nation like ours, made up of almost every variety of the human family, there should be, as before the Law, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/in-a-composite-nation-like-ours-made-up-of-almost-every-variety-of/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [As in forming a political society, each individual contributes some of his rights, in order that he may, from a common stock of rights,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/as-in-forming-a-political-society-each-individual-contributes-some-of/) [John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/) > [In a composite nation like ours, as before the law, there should be no rich, no poor, no high, no low, no white, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/in-a-composite-nation-like-ours-as-before-the-law-there-should-be-no/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [ They \[the founders\] proclaimed to all the world the revolutionary doctrine of the divine rights of the common man. That doctrine has ever since… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/they-the-founders-proclaimed-to-all-the-world-the-revolutionary/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [The United Nations will be at the heart of our international activities. France will assume its full responsibilities at the Security Council by putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-hollande/the-united-nations-will-be-at-the-heart-of-our-international/) [Francois Hollande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-hollande/) > [Following World War II, the U.S. was the architect of the UN system, and the world financial system, and the Human Rights Declaration, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/following-world-war-ii-the-u-s-was-the-architect-of-the-un-system-and/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [All constitutions, those of the States no less than that of the nation, are designed, and must be interpreted and administered so as to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/all-constitutions-those-of-the-states-no-less-than-that-of-the-nation/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [We have a list of human rights - right to food, right to shelter, right to health, right to education, many such items which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/we-have-a-list-of-human-rights-right-to-food-right-to-shelter-right/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [We stand today at the threshold of a great event both in the life of the United Nations and in the life of mankind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/we-stand-today-at-the-threshold-of-a-great-event-both-in-the-life-of/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Everybody in America who didn't come over the Bering Strait ice bridge stole his land from somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/everybody-in-america-who-didn-t-come-over-the-bering-strait-ice/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Our friends at the Republican convention were more than happy to talk about everything they think is wrong with America, but they didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/our-friends-at-the-republican-convention-were-more-than-happy-to-talk/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [...America didn't have to fight scarcity and we all felt guilty before people who still had to struggle for bread and freedom in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/america-didn-t-have-to-fight-scarcity-and-we-all-felt-guilty-before/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“When we came to America, though, we didn't know what the right thing was. Here we lived with no map. We became invisible, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-budhos/when-we-came-to-america-though-we-didn-t-know-what-the-right-thing/) Marina Budhos ## More by John McCain > [I have the utmost confidence in General Mattis, General Flynn, General Kelly, Dan Coates. I couldn't have picked a better team. And so I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-have-the-utmost-confidence-in-general-mattis-general-flynn-general/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Washington is a Hollywood for ugly people. Hollywood is a Washington for the simpleminded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/washington-is-a-hollywood-for-ugly-people-hollywood-is-a-washington/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [I think that it's important that we understand the importance of the Hispanic vote in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-think-that-it-s-important-that-we-understand-the-importance-of-the/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [ I will not agree to have this bill \[to repeal DADT \] go forward, because our economy is in the tank. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-will-not-agree-to-have-this-bill-to-repeal-dadt-go-forward-because/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [I don't know a politician who enjoys fundraising. 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We will bring him to justice, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/on-the-subject-of-osama-bin-laden-we-will-track-him-down-we-will/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [That's Joe Biden right there - unbowed, unbroken and unable to stop talking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/that-s-joe-biden-right-there-unbowed-unbroken-and-unable-to-stop/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) [Explore all 539 John McCain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) ## 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. 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