---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Today, most Americans are too cynical, or…"
description: "\"Today, most Americans are too cynical, or tired, or both, to even approximate our Founders' courageous repudiation of injustice.\" — Marianne Williamson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/marianne-williamson-90_american_today-most-americans-are-too-cynical-or_470234.png"
---

#  Today, most Americans are too cynical, or tired, or both…

![“Today, most Americans are too cynical, or tired, or both, to even approximate our Founders' courageous repudiation of injustice.” quote by Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/marianne-williamson-90_american_today-most-americans-are-too-cynical-or_470234.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/marianne-williamson-90_american_today-most-americans-are-too-cynical-or_470234.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/marianne-williamson-90_american_today-most-americans-are-too-cynical-or_470234.png)

> “Today, most Americans are too cynical, or tired, or both, to even approximate our Founders' courageous repudiation of injustice.”

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Many Americans have become jaded and exhausted, making it hard to match the bold moral stance of the nation's founders against injustice.

**In simple terms:** People are cynical and tired, unlike the founders' brave fight against wrong.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and revive the founders' spirit of justice.

Themes

cynicism justice political engagement

Mood

concerned hopeful

Type

political motivational

When to use this quote

- voter apathy
- activism
- public discourse
- policy reform

Key Concepts

American history moral courage

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we rekindle moral courage today?
- What actions can combat cynicism?

A Different Perspective

Even with renewed spirit, systemic barriers may still hinder change.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Courageous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courageous/) [Cynical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynical/) [Founders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founders/) [Injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injustice/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/)

## Related quotes

> [“We will always be subjected to these us-versus-them hysteria campaigns as long as people in power seek to divide Americans for their own cynical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arsalan-iftikhar/we-will-always-be-subjected-to-these-us-versus-them-hysteria/)

[Arsalan Iftikhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arsalan-iftikhar/)

> [That government is best which governs the least, so taught the courageous founders of this nation. This simple declaration is diametrically opposed to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/that-government-is-best-which-governs-the-least-so-taught-the/)

[Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/)

> [The Founders didn't mention political parties when they wrote the Constitution, and George Washington in essence warned us against them in his Farewell Address.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-founders-didn-t-mention-political-parties-when-they-wrote-the/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [If you are not consciously directing your life, you will lose your footing and circumstances will decide for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beckwith/if-you-are-not-consciously-directing-your-life-you-will-lose-your/)

[Michael Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beckwith/)

> [Our founders made it extraordinarily difficult to amend the Constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/our-founders-made-it-extraordinarily-difficult-to-amend-the/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Big-government proponents embrace both the power of the federal government and the idea that millions of Americans ought to be dependent on its largesse.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/big-government-proponents-embrace-both-the-power-of-the-federal/)

[Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/)

> [The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/the-general-principles-on-which-the-fathers-achieved-independence/)

[John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/)

> [The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-founders-of-a-new-colony-whatever-utopia-of-human-virtue-and/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [We must never lose sight of the fact that we must take part in the development, not only of ourselves but of all humanity...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewel/we-must-never-lose-sight-of-the-fact-that-we-must-take-part-in-the/)

[Jewel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jewel/)

> [Entrepreneurship is the very back bone of our country and what makes us great - we are a nation of founders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lublin/entrepreneurship-is-the-very-back-bone-of-our-country-and-what-makes/)

[Nancy Lublin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lublin/)

> [My aim is to institute perpetual adoration," spoke St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, Franciscan priest and founder of the Knights of the Immaculata. For he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximilian-kolbe/my-aim-is-to-institute-perpetual-adoration-spoke-st-maximilian-maria/)

[Maximilian Kolbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximilian-kolbe/)

> [The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-first-person-who-having-enclosed-a-plot-of-land-took-it-into-his/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [I am ever mindful of the legacy of my grandfather, the founder of this Kingdom, who had said to me that he perceived his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-hussein-i/i-am-ever-mindful-of-the-legacy-of-my-grandfather-the-founder-of-this/)

[King Hussein I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-hussein-i/)

> [The rights essential to happiness. . . . We claim them from a higher source - from the King of kings and Lord of all the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/the-rights-essential-to-happiness-we-claim-them-from-a-higher-source/)

[John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/)

> [Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/our-laws-and-our-institutions-must-necessarily-be-based-upon-and/)

[David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/)

## More by Marianne Williamson

> [The goal of spiritual practice is full recovery, and the only thing you need to recover from is a fractured sense of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-goal-of-spiritual-practice-is-full-recovery-and-the-only-thing/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [Great people are not people who have never fallen down. Greatness has to do with how you get back up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/great-people-are-not-people-who-have-never-fallen-down-greatness-has/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [I feel that if your soul was branded by the sixties, you never lost the brand. It's like going into a nightclub and having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-feel-that-if-your-soul-was-branded-by-the-sixties-you-never-lost/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [Until we have met the monsters in ourselves, we keep trying to slay them in the outer world. And we find that we cannot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/until-we-have-met-the-monsters-in-ourselves-we-keep-trying-to-slay/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [No matter how sad we might be, the universe is still planning our happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/no-matter-how-sad-we-might-be-the-universe-is-still-planning-our/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [Love is who we are, and when we deviate from that love we're deviating from our ultimate, essential, eternal reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/love-is-who-we-are-and-when-we-deviate-from-that-love-we-re-deviating/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [For many, many people, getting married is one of the most important things they will ever do in the pursuit of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/for-many-many-people-getting-married-is-one-of-the-most-important/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [As all of us are only too aware, the loud and frantic voices of the outer world easily drown out the small, still loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/as-all-of-us-are-only-too-aware-the-loud-and-frantic-voices-of-the/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [It is not too late. You are not too old. You are right on time-And you are better than you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/it-is-not-too-late-you-are-not-too-old-you-are-right-on-time-and-you/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [I tell my mother I went to God in spite of my religious education. I feel that my religious education was inadequate, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-tell-my-mother-i-went-to-god-in-spite-of-my-religious-education-i/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [You don't have to be a spiritual seeker, you can be a businessman dealing with the revolution in computers. You could be a congressman,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-spiritual-seeker-you-can-be-a-businessman/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [Dear God, I surrender this thought to you, for I would see the miracle that lies behind it. Amen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/dear-god-i-surrender-this-thought-to-you-for-i-would-see-the-miracle/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [Sex is not the ultimate high, but the ultimate high hangs out around sex. The ultimate high is the dance with another person, played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/sex-is-not-the-ultimate-high-but-the-ultimate-high-hangs-out-around/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

[Explore all 1,347 Marianne Williamson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

## More American quotes

> [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/)

[Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/)

> [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/)

[Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/)

> [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/)

[Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/)

> [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/)

[Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/)

> [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/)

[H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/)

> [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/)

[Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/)

> [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/)

[Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/)

> [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/)

[William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/)

> [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/)

[Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/)

> [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/)

[Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/)

> [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/)

[Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/)

> [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/)

[Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/)

> [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/)

[Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/)

> [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/)

[Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/)

> [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/)

[Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/)

Browse all 7,717 American quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Today, most Americans are too cynical, or tired, or both, to even approximate our Founders' courageous repudiation of injustice.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marianne Williamson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/today-most-americans-are-too-cynical-or-tired-or-both-to-even/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "American"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/today-most-americans-are-too-cynical-or-tired-or-both-to-even/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/marianne-williamson-90_american_today-most-americans-are-too-cynical-or_470234.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/marianne-williamson-90_american_today-most-americans-are-too-cynical-or_470234.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/marianne-williamson-90_american_today-most-americans-are-too-cynical-or_470234.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Today, most Americans are too cynical, or tired, or both, to even approximate our Founders' courageous…” — Marianne Williamson",
                "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": "Marianne Williamson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Today, most Americans are too cynical,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/today-most-americans-are-too-cynical-or-tired-or-both-to-even/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/today-most-americans-are-too-cynical-or-tired-or-both-to-even/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
