--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: America never formally surrenders, so we…" description: "\"America never formally surrenders, so we have to call surrender something else. In Vietnam, we called it Vietnamization.\" — Lawrence O'Donnell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/517/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_america_america-never-formally-surrenders-so-we_561707.jpg" --- # America never formally surrenders, so we have to call… ![“America never formally surrenders, so we have to call surrender something else. In Vietnam, we called it Vietnamization.” quote by Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/517/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_america_america-never-formally-surrenders-so-we_561707.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/517/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_america_america-never-formally-surrenders-so-we_561707.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/517/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_america_america-never-formally-surrenders-so-we_561707.jpg) > “America never formally surrenders, so we have to call surrender something else. In Vietnam, we called it Vietnamization.” [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. America avoids labeling surrender, rebranding it as strategic policy like Vietnamization, to maintain national pride. **In simple terms:** Reframing defeat preserves image. Key Takeaway Acknowledge realities without euphemism. Themes politics national identity war euphemism public perception Mood analytical critical Type political commentary historical insight When to use this quote - military policy - public speeches - media analysis Key Concepts strategic communication historical revisionism political rhetoric Questions to Reflect On - How does language shape public acceptance? - What are the costs of avoiding honest terminology? A Different Perspective Simplifies complex outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Call](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/call/) [Called Vietnamization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-vietnamization-4655010/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Surrender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrender/) [Surrender Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrender-vietnam-4655009/) [Surrenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrenders-560504/) [Surrenders Surrender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrenders-surrender-4655011/) [Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam/) ## Related quotes > [Henry Kissinger spent years negotiating the terms of our surrender there and ended up with a deal that he could have gotten on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/henry-kissinger-spent-years-negotiating-the-terms-of-our-surrender/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [A man may have to die for our country: but no man must, in any exclusive sense, live for his country. He who surrenders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/a-man-may-have-to-die-for-our-country-but-no-man-must-in-any/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [The great soul surrenders itself to fate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-elder/the-great-soul-surrenders-itself-to-fate/) [Seneca the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-elder/) > [...the person who surrenders absolutely to God, with no reservations, is absolutely safe. From this safe hiding-place he can see the devil , but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/the-person-who-surrenders-absolutely-to-god-with-no-reservations-is/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [“To a mind that is still, the entire universe surrenders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuang-tzu/to-a-mind-that-is-still-the-entire-universe-surrenders/) [Chuang Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuang-tzu/) > [“The heart is neither given nor stolen. The heart surrenders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/the-heart-is-neither-given-nor-stolen-the-heart-surrenders/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [Warriors fear surrender. They are proud and defiant. They will fight to the death for what they believe in. They will struggle to conquer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/warriors-fear-surrender-they-are-proud-and-defiant-they-will-fight-to/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [It is inevitable that some defeat will enter even the most victorious life. The human spirit is never finished when it is defeated... it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/it-is-inevitable-that-some-defeat-will-enter-even-the-most-victorious/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [A woman who surrenders her freedom need not surrender her dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/a-woman-who-surrenders-her-freedom-need-not-surrender-her-dignity/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [What can and doesn't have to be always, at the end, surrenders to something that has to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivo-andri/what-can-and-doesn-t-have-to-be-always-at-the-end-surrenders-to/) [Ivo Andric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivo-andri/) > [... so in love the heart surrenders itself entirely to the one being that has known how to touch it. That being is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/so-in-love-the-heart-surrenders-itself-entirely-to-the-one-being-that/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [“We fight not for glory nor for wealth nor honours; but only and alone we fight for freedom, which no good man surrenders but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-de-linton/we-fight-not-for-glory-nor-for-wealth-nor-honours-but-only-and-alone/) [Bernard De Linton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-de-linton/) > [Love or hatred calls for self-surrender. He cuts a fine figure, the warm-blooded, prosperous man, solidly entrenched in his well-being, who one fine day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/love-or-hatred-calls-for-self-surrender-he-cuts-a-fine-figure-the/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“A True Wise Man Surrenders Every Thing Freely To God While Alive. A Foolish Man Surrenders Every Thing Forcefully At The Time Of Death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baba-tunde-ojo-olubiyo/a-true-wise-man-surrenders-every-thing-freely-to-god-while-alive-a/) [Baba Tunde Ojo-Olubiyo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baba-tunde-ojo-olubiyo/) > [“For a moment something struggles inside her. Then her mind empties and she surrenders. Fighting fate is too difficult. She must save herself to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-robotham/for-a-moment-something-struggles-inside-her-then-her-mind-empties-and/) [Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) ## More by Lawrence O'Donnell > [All writers are forced to live within deadlines, and deadlines determine how good they can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/all-writers-are-forced-to-live-within-deadlines-and-deadlines/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [The question for the Republicans running the confirmation hearings in the United States Senate is whose rules are they going to use?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/the-question-for-the-republicans-running-the-confirmation-hearings-in/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Prosecutors have absolutely no control over what witnesses say when they leave the grand jury room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/prosecutors-have-absolutely-no-control-over-what-witnesses-say-when/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Because Republicans defected and voted with all the Democrats to reject Jeff Sessions' nomination when they discovered that when he was working as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/because-republicans-defected-and-voted-with-all-the-democrats-to/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [ In this case, the government will essentially be run by the people who are running it now. The top level \[Barack\] Obama appointees will… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/in-this-case-the-government-will-essentially-be-run-by-the-people-who/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [I've never understood the value of putting someone on television to lie, knowing that they're going to lie ahead of time, knowing that that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/i-ve-never-understood-the-value-of-putting-someone-on-television-to/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [The Trump view of immigration defies our history. Immigration is a transaction that has historically benefited the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/the-trump-view-of-immigration-defies-our-history-immigration-is-a/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [ I don't think anybody knows it was Russia that broke into the DNC. She \[Hillary Clinton\] is saying Russia, Russia, Russia. Maybe it was.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/i-don-t-think-anybody-knows-it-was-russia-that-broke-into-the-dnc-she/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [If a reader comes across a story that makes them cry, you can be sure that the writer felt every single thing that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/if-a-reader-comes-across-a-story-that-makes-them-cry-you-can-be-sure/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [National security advisors are not there to be advocates, generally. They're not there to be partisans, they're not there to be ideologues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/national-security-advisors-are-not-there-to-be-advocates-generally/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Never once has Republican world said hey, maybe we should look into how police officers are carrying out their solemn public responsibility to serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/never-once-has-republican-world-said-hey-maybe-we-should-look-into/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [When Ronald Reagan nominated Jeff Sessions for federal district court judgeship, the Senate Judiciary Committee rejected his nomination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/when-ronald-reagan-nominated-jeff-sessions-for-federal-district-court/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Show business comes with wonderfully long vacations, like the life of a college professor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/show-business-comes-with-wonderfully-long-vacations-like-the-life-of/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [It is amazing that Jeff Sessions is still in the job. Any self-respecting Attorney General of the United States would have publicly resigned as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/it-is-amazing-that-jeff-sessions-is-still-in-the-job-any-self/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Melania Trump's husband tweeted this: "Arianna Huffington is unattractive both inside and out. I fully understand why her former husband left her for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/melania-trump-s-husband-tweeted-this-arianna-huffington-is/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) [Explore all 214 Lawrence O'Donnell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) ## 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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