--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For we must consider that we shall be as…" description: "\"For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us.\" — John Winthrop" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15d/john-winthrop-33810_america_for-we-must-consider-that-we-shall-be-as_650472.jpg" --- # For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a… ![“For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us.” quote by John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15d/john-winthrop-33810_america_for-we-must-consider-that-we-shall-be-as_650472.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15d/john-winthrop-33810_america_for-we-must-consider-that-we-shall-be-as_650472.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15d/john-winthrop-33810_america_for-we-must-consider-that-we-shall-be-as_650472.jpg) > “For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us.” [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The community must act as a moral example, aware that many watch their conduct. **In simple terms:** Society is a moral example for others. Key Takeaway Live responsibly as a public example. Themes morality leadership collective identity Mood solemn inspirational Type historical ethical When to use this quote - colonial governance - public policy - media scrutiny Key Concepts watchfulness public example social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle being observed? - What responsibilities come with visibility? A Different Perspective High expectations can create pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Hills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hills/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Because of my father, we are that Shining City on a Hill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reagan/because-of-my-father-we-are-that-shining-city-on-a-hill/) [Michael Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reagan/) > [America is, and always will be, a shining city on a hill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/america-is-and-always-will-be-a-shining-city-on-a-hill/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [“You are like a city on the hill; you can't be hidden out of sight in any way! Beautify your environment and your influence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/you-are-like-a-city-on-the-hill-you-can-t-be-hidden-out-of-sight-in/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [The eyes of all people are upon us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/the-eyes-of-all-people-are-upon-us/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) > [I like men with some belly who are a little over the hill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-abril/i-like-men-with-some-belly-who-are-a-little-over-the-hill/) [Victoria Abril](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-abril/) > [You can't help someone get up a hill without getting closer to the top yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-schwarzkopf/you-can-t-help-someone-get-up-a-hill-without-getting-closer-to-the/) [Norman Schwarzkopf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-schwarzkopf/) > [Unfortunately, when you're the king of the hill, there's really only one way to go, and that's down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walton-goggins/unfortunately-when-you-re-the-king-of-the-hill-there-s-really-only/) [Walton Goggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walton-goggins/) > [I love the English. My God, they brought us 'Benny Hill,' 'Monty Python,' 'The Office,' Neville Chamberlain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-macfarlane/i-love-the-english-my-god-they-brought-us-benny-hill-monty-python-the/) [Seth MacFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-macfarlane/) > [I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fats-domino/i-found-my-thrill-on-blueberry-hill/) [Fats Domino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fats-domino/) > [When you're over the hill, that's when you pick up speed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/when-you-re-over-the-hill-that-s-when-you-pick-up-speed/) [Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/) > [Hollywood has unfortunately become a memory. It's nothing but a sign on the side of a hill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-rooney/hollywood-has-unfortunately-become-a-memory-it-s-nothing-but-a-sign/) [Mickey Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-rooney/) > [There are a lot of really funny guys who are very natural in what they do: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Seth Rogen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ferrell/there-are-a-lot-of-really-funny-guys-who-are-very-natural-in-what/) [Will Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-ferrell/) > [Hill sprints are good for everyone!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-goucher/hill-sprints-are-good-for-everyone/) [Kara Goucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-goucher/) > [According to a Public Policy Polling survey, most Americans find lice and colonoscopies more appealing than Capitol Hill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-fournier/according-to-a-public-policy-polling-survey-most-americans-find-lice/) [Ron Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-fournier/) > [When I was 16, I made some little 35mm documentaries about the poor in London. I went round Notting Hill, which was a real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suchet/when-i-was-16-i-made-some-little-35mm-documentaries-about-the-poor-in/) [David Suchet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suchet/) ## More by John Winthrop > [True liberty is not liberty to do evil as well as good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/true-liberty-is-not-liberty-to-do-evil-as-well-as-good/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) > [Liberty is the proper end and object of authority, and cannot subsist without it; and it is liberty to that which is good, just,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/liberty-is-the-proper-end-and-object-of-authority-and-cannot-subsist/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) > [“For this end, we must be knit together in this work as one man, we must entertain each other in brotherly affection, we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/for-this-end-we-must-be-knit-together-in-this-work-as-one-man-we-must/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) > [Love is the bond of perfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/love-is-the-bond-of-perfection/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) > [“We must knit together, in this work, as one man. We must entertain each other in brotherly affection. We must be willing to abridge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/we-must-knit-together-in-this-work-as-one-man-we-must-entertain-each/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) > [A democracy is ... accounted the meanest and worst of all forms of government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/a-democracy-is-accounted-the-meanest-and-worst-of-all-forms-of/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) > [The eyes of all people are upon us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/the-eyes-of-all-people-are-upon-us/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) > [To love and live beloved is the soul's paradise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/to-love-and-live-beloved-is-the-soul-s-paradise/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) > [A liberty to that only which is good, just, and honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/a-liberty-to-that-only-which-is-good-just-and-honest/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) > [“For we must Consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us; so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/for-we-must-consider-that-we-shall-be-as-a-city-upon-a-hill-the-eyes-2/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) > [For we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. Soe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/for-we-must-consider-that-we-shall-be-as-a-city-upon-a-hill-the-eyes-3/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) > [We must delight in each other, make others conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/we-must-delight-in-each-other-make-others-conditions-our-own-rejoice/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) > [“For this end, we must be knit together in this work as one man, we must entertain each other in brotherly affection, we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/for-this-end-we-must-be-knit-together-in-this-work-as-one-man-we-must-2/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) [Explore all 14 John Winthrop quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) ## 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": "For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. 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