--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: America is built on the labors of the…" description: "\"America is built on the labors of the oppressed.\" — Lisa Joy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03c/lisa-joy-7481_america_america-is-built-on-the-labors-of-the-op_1912374.jpg" --- # America is built on the labors of the oppressed. ![“America is built on the labors of the oppressed.” quote by Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03c/lisa-joy-7481_america_america-is-built-on-the-labors-of-the-op_1912374.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03c/lisa-joy-7481_america_america-is-built-on-the-labors-of-the-op_1912374.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03c/lisa-joy-7481_america_america-is-built-on-the-labors-of-the-op_1912374.jpg) > “America is built on the labors of the oppressed.” [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She points out that America’s wealth rests on the labor of oppressed peoples, urging recognition of historical injustices. **In simple terms:** America’s foundation includes exploited labor. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and address past exploitation. Themes history justice economics social equity Mood somber motivational Type political ethical When to use this quote - policy reform - education - activism - corporate responsibility Key Concepts systemic oppression wealth disparity Questions to Reflect On - How can societies reparate historic labor exploitation? - What steps can individuals take toward equity? A Different Perspective Ignoring systemic issues can perpetuate inequality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Labors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labors/) [Oppressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppressed/) ## Related quotes > [Many times a day I realize how much my own life is built upon the labors of my fellowmen, and how earnestly I must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/many-times-a-day-i-realize-how-much-my-own-life-is-built-upon-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [America was built on her citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/america-was-built-on-her-citizens/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I came to America with a dream and I made it. The dream became reality. America is built for success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-van-damme/i-came-to-america-with-a-dream-and-i-made-it-the-dream-became-reality/) [Jean-Claude Van Damme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-van-damme/) > [We need to tell young people that America was built by men and women of all colors and that the future of this country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-dean-myers/we-need-to-tell-young-people-that-america-was-built-by-men-and-women/) [Walter Dean Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-dean-myers/) > [We are a country where people of all backgrounds, all nations of origin, all languages, all religions, all races, can make a home. America…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-are-a-country-where-people-of-all-backgrounds-all-nations-of/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The incredible story of progress that is America has always been built by those who ask why, what if, and why not. Our schools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-incredible-story-of-progress-that-is-america-has-always-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [But America was built by optimists. Optimists like my friend Amanda, who recently started a small business. When she went to buy her website…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-longoria/but-america-was-built-by-optimists-optimists-like-my-friend-amanda/) [Eva Longoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-longoria/) > [America was built on personal responsibility and opportunity, not a government hand out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/america-was-built-on-personal-responsibility-and-opportunity-not-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [America was not built by conformists, but by mutineers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hightower/america-was-not-built-by-conformists-but-by-mutineers/) [Jim Hightower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hightower/) > [The Highways of America are built chiefly of politics, whereas the proper material is crushed rock or concrete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-g-fisher/the-highways-of-america-are-built-chiefly-of-politics-whereas-the/) Carl G. Fisher > [America was built on cheap and abundant coal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/america-was-built-on-cheap-and-abundant-coal/) [Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/) > [Football represents and embodies everything that's great about this country, because the United States of America is built on winners, not losers or people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-hayes/football-represents-and-embodies-everything-that-s-great-about-this/) [Woody Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-hayes/) > [“Take your hallowed halls of Congress or the littered floor of the Stock Exchange, America is built on its pancake houses!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-paterniti/take-your-hallowed-halls-of-congress-or-the-littered-floor-of-the/) [Michael Paterniti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-paterniti/) > [“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand." -Harry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-post-askin/america-was-not-built-on-fear-america-was-built-on-courage-on/) [Barbara Post-Askin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-post-askin/) > [America was built on immigrants, and what they bring 'to the table.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-irvine/america-was-built-on-immigrants-and-what-they-bring-to-the-table/) [Robert Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-irvine/) ## More by Lisa Joy > [There's a kind of beauty to a skyscraper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/there-s-a-kind-of-beauty-to-a-skyscraper/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [I don't see much of myself in the traditional Western hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/i-don-t-see-much-of-myself-in-the-traditional-western-hero/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [I had a lot of college debt. It's very difficult to go to a university that is as expensive as Stanford and then blindly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/i-had-a-lot-of-college-debt-it-s-very-difficult-to-go-to-a-university/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [One of the most consistent defining qualities of sentience is that we define it as human, as the thing that we possess that others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/one-of-the-most-consistent-defining-qualities-of-sentience-is-that-we/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [When I was a kid, I wanted to be a writer, but I didn't think it would really be possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-but-i-didn-t-think-it-would/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [Working on 'Westworld' has been an incredible experience in learning to make something with the scope of a feature on a TV timeline with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/working-on-westworld-has-been-an-incredible-experience-in-learning-to/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [I've tried to always be incredibly overprepared in everything that I've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/i-ve-tried-to-always-be-incredibly-overprepared-in-everything-that-i/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [We subverted the entire premise of 'Westworld' in that our sympathies are meant to be with the robots, the hosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/we-subverted-the-entire-premise-of-westworld-in-that-our-sympathies/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [One of the many delights that I found in directing was that you plan so many things so meticulously so that they go smoothly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/one-of-the-many-delights-that-i-found-in-directing-was-that-you-plan/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [I think the thing that will endure about Westworld will be the questions it poses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/i-think-the-thing-that-will-endure-about-westworld-will-be-the/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [The reality is that 'Westworld' is designed so that guests can indulge with impunity their every fantasy - be it light or dark. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/the-reality-is-that-westworld-is-designed-so-that-guests-can-indulge/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [We drive a Tesla.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/we-drive-a-tesla/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [The great thing about fiction is you can talk about things without being didactic about them, but hopefully forge a connection with people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/the-great-thing-about-fiction-is-you-can-talk-about-things-without/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [No matter how long my day job hours were, I always made time to write. I wrote fiction, short stories, and poetry. I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/no-matter-how-long-my-day-job-hours-were-i-always-made-time-to-write/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [I was actually born a robot, so 'Westworld' is just autobiographical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/i-was-actually-born-a-robot-so-westworld-is-just-autobiographical/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) [Explore all 90 Lisa Joy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) ## 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": "America is built on the labors of the oppressed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lisa Joy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/america-is-built-on-the-labors-of-the-oppressed/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/america-is-built-on-the-labors-of-the-oppressed/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03c/lisa-joy-7481_america_america-is-built-on-the-labors-of-the-op_1912374.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03c/lisa-joy-7481_america_america-is-built-on-the-labors-of-the-op_1912374.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03c/lisa-joy-7481_america_america-is-built-on-the-labors-of-the-op_1912374.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“America is built on the labors of the oppressed.” — Lisa Joy", "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": "Lisa Joy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "America is built on the labors...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/america-is-built-on-the-labors-of-the-oppressed/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/america-is-built-on-the-labors-of-the-oppressed/#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 } } ] } ```