--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: America and Greece are at different stops…" description: "\"“America and Greece are at different stops on the same one-way street, all too familiar to us immigrants. There's nothing new about Obama: been there, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/mark-steyn-1844_ellis-island_america-and-greece-are-at-different-stop_1732533.jpg" --- # America and Greece are at different stops on the same… ![“America and Greece are at different stops on the same one-way street, all too familiar to us immigrants. There's nothing new about Obama: been there, done that. Nothing could be less hopeful, or less of a change. He's the land where we grew up, with its union bullies and marginal tax rates and…” quote by Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/mark-steyn-1844_ellis-island_america-and-greece-are-at-different-stop_1732533.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/mark-steyn-1844_ellis-island_america-and-greece-are-at-different-stop_1732533.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/mark-steyn-1844_ellis-island_america-and-greece-are-at-different-stop_1732533.jpg) > ““America and Greece are at different stops on the same one-way street, all too familiar to us immigrants. There's nothing new about Obama: been there, done that. Nothing could be less hopeful, or less of a change. He's the land where we grew up, with its union bullies and marginal tax rates and government automobiles and general air of decay all re-emerging Brigadoon-like from the mists entirely unspoilt by progress. it's like docking at Ellis Island in 1883, coming down the gangplank, and finding everyone excited about this pilot program they've introduced called "serfdom".”” [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author compares America’s current political climate to an outdated, oppressive system, suggesting it offers no real progress or hope for immigrants. **In simple terms:** America is portrayed as stagnant and oppressive. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge systemic stagnation. Themes immigration politics disillusionment stagnation systemic oppression Mood cynical critical reflective Type political social commentary satire When to use this quote - policy analysis - immigration reform - civic engagement - historical comparison Key Concepts Americanism political critique immigrant experience Questions to Reflect On - How does this view affect your perception of American opportunity? - What alternatives could improve immigrant integration? A Different Perspective The analogy may oversimplify complex socio-economic factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America Greece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-greece-1442214/) [Called Serfdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-serfdom-1442216/) [Ellis island](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ellis-island/) [Greece Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greece-different-1442215/) [Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Obama Hopeful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obama-hopeful-1442217/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) ## Related quotes > [I certainly think Obama is the most hopeful president I've seen in the country since John Kennedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-certainly-think-obama-is-the-most-hopeful-president-i-ve-seen-in/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Your grandparents did not endure the indignities of a steerage journey to Ellis Island so that you could stand outside a discothèque and beg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/your-grandparents-did-not-endure-the-indignities-of-a-steerage/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [Beginning with a trip out to Ellis Island, I saw for myself where thousands of European immigrants took their first steps onto American soil,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/beginning-with-a-trip-out-to-ellis-island-i-saw-for-myself-where/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [I don't know the numbers, but roughly half of the people who came through Ellis Island returned home. They came here to make money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-don-t-know-the-numbers-but-roughly-half-of-the-people-who-came/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [“You like Nick a lot, don't you, Nora?" Dorothy asked. "He's an old Greek fool, but I'm used to him." "Charles isn't a Greek…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/you-like-nick-a-lot-don-t-you-nora-dorothy-asked-he-s-an-old-greek/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [I always remember to go on the Staten Island Ferry because it's the most amazing view of New York. And it's free! You see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-pigott-smith/i-always-remember-to-go-on-the-staten-island-ferry-because-it-s-the/) [Tim Pigott-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-pigott-smith/) > [We must not forget that these men and women who file through the narrow gates at Ellis Island, hopeful, confused, with bundles of misconceptions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-weyl/we-must-not-forget-that-these-men-and-women-who-file-through-the/) [Walter Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-weyl/) > [He looked like someone with a steerage ticket on the titanic. Somebody who'd be standing in line at Ellis Island. Undiluted and old-blooded. Also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/he-looked-like-someone-with-a-steerage-ticket-on-the-titanic-somebody/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [The diversity in the CNN makeup room - it's like Ellis Island! No, it's like Noah's Ark: there are two of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-navarro/the-diversity-in-the-cnn-makeup-room-it-s-like-ellis-island-no-it-s/) [Ana Navarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-navarro/) > [Most American Jews came from the lower middle classes, and therefore they brought with them not a lot of Jewish culture. The American Jewish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hertzberg/most-american-jews-came-from-the-lower-middle-classes-and-therefore/) [Arthur Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hertzberg/) > [“He greeted me in his usual attire - pajama pants. "Hey stranger!" he said, hugging me for a few long seconds. "I've already set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inna-swinton/he-greeted-me-in-his-usual-attire-pajama-pants-hey-stranger-he-said/) [Inna Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inna-swinton/) > [“So they say things like, “Go back to your country,” as if their Irish ancestors never walked through Ellis Island.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominique-christina-ashaheed/so-they-say-things-like-go-back-to-your-country-as-if-their-irish/) [Dominique Christina Ashaheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominique-christina-ashaheed/) > [“ "The wanderer in Manhattan must go forth with a certain innocence, because New York is best seen with innocent eyes. It doesn't matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/the-wanderer-in-manhattan-must-go-forth-with-a-certain-innocence/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [“A familiar image of a grim, frozen Russia is the babushka, the old woman, hunched and determined, head wrapped in a scarf. Her gnarled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-golinkin/a-familiar-image-of-a-grim-frozen-russia-is-the-babushka-the-old/) [Lev Golinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-golinkin/) > [When they got here, when they successfully emigrated - and not everybody that came through Ellis Island was accepted. If you were sick you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/when-they-got-here-when-they-successfully-emigrated-and-not-everybody/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) ## More by Mark Steyn > [Popular culture as a whole is popular, but in today's fragmented market it's a jostle of competing unpopular popular cultures. As the critic Stanley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/popular-culture-as-a-whole-is-popular-but-in-today-s-fragmented/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [“The populations of wealthy democratic societies expect to have total choice over their satellite TV packages, yet think it perfectly normal to allow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/the-populations-of-wealthy-democratic-societies-expect-to-have-total/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [For Al Gore and Paul Ehrlich and Co., whatever the problem, the solution is always the same. Whether it's global cooling, global warming, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/for-al-gore-and-paul-ehrlich-and-co-whatever-the-problem-the-solution/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [Sadly, a U.S. invasion of Iraq 'would threaten the whole stability of the Middle East' - or so Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/sadly-a-u-s-invasion-of-iraq-would-threaten-the-whole-stability-of/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [I don't think Donald Trump is a conservative. I think his line on China for example, that he's going to talk tough to China.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/i-don-t-think-donald-trump-is-a-conservative-i-think-his-line-on/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [A big chunk of Western civilization, consciously or otherwise, has given the impression that it's dying to surrender to somebody, anybody. Reasonably enough, Islam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/a-big-chunk-of-western-civilization-consciously-or-otherwise-has/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [“But that's Islam in the third millennium: they want the certainties of seventh-century society with the conveniences of the twenty-first century.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/but-that-s-islam-in-the-third-millennium-they-want-the-certainties-of/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [The progressive Left can be in favor of Big Government or population control but not both. The mutual incompatibility is about to plunge Europe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/the-progressive-left-can-be-in-favor-of-big-government-or-population/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [“But in practice the lack of belief in divine presence is just as likely to lead to humans avoiding responsibility: if there's nothing other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/but-in-practice-the-lack-of-belief-in-divine-presence-is-just-as/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [No family of an American hostage has ever been prosecuted for paying a ransom for the return of their loved ones. The last thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/no-family-of-an-american-hostage-has-ever-been-prosecuted-for-paying/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [“America is now a land that rewards failure--at the personal, corporate and state level. If you reward it, you get more of it. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/america-is-now-a-land-that-rewards-failure-at-the-personal-corporate/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [Obama's Nobel Peace Prize is an exquisite act of condescension from Norwegians, a dog biscuit and a pat on the head to the American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/obama-s-nobel-peace-prize-is-an-exquisite-act-of-condescension-from/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [“You cannot wage a sustained ideological assault on your own civilization without grave consequences. We are approaching the end of the Anglo-American moment, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/you-cannot-wage-a-sustained-ideological-assault-on-your-own/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [“Almost by definition, secularism cannot be a future: it's a present-tense culture that over time disconnects a society from cross-generational purpose. Which is why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/almost-by-definition-secularism-cannot-be-a-future-it-s-a-present/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [Her Majesty's government is engaging not merely in Orwellian Newspeak but in self-defeating Orwellian Newspeak. The broader message it sends is that ours is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/her-majesty-s-government-is-engaging-not-merely-in-orwellian-newspeak/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) [Explore all 204 Mark Steyn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) ## More Ellis island quotes > [When they got here, when they successfully emigrated - and not everybody that came through Ellis Island was accepted. If you were sick you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/when-they-got-here-when-they-successfully-emigrated-and-not-everybody/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“A familiar image of a grim, frozen Russia is the babushka, the old woman, hunched and determined, head wrapped in a scarf. Her gnarled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-golinkin/a-familiar-image-of-a-grim-frozen-russia-is-the-babushka-the-old/) [Lev Golinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-golinkin/) > [“ "The wanderer in Manhattan must go forth with a certain innocence, because New York is best seen with innocent eyes. It doesn't matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/the-wanderer-in-manhattan-must-go-forth-with-a-certain-innocence/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [“So they say things like, “Go back to your country,” as if their Irish ancestors never walked through Ellis Island.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominique-christina-ashaheed/so-they-say-things-like-go-back-to-your-country-as-if-their-irish/) [Dominique Christina Ashaheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominique-christina-ashaheed/) > [“He greeted me in his usual attire - pajama pants. "Hey stranger!" he said, hugging me for a few long seconds. "I've already set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inna-swinton/he-greeted-me-in-his-usual-attire-pajama-pants-hey-stranger-he-said/) [Inna Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inna-swinton/) > [Most American Jews came from the lower middle classes, and therefore they brought with them not a lot of Jewish culture. The American Jewish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hertzberg/most-american-jews-came-from-the-lower-middle-classes-and-therefore/) [Arthur Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hertzberg/) > [The diversity in the CNN makeup room - it's like Ellis Island! No, it's like Noah's Ark: there are two of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-navarro/the-diversity-in-the-cnn-makeup-room-it-s-like-ellis-island-no-it-s/) [Ana Navarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-navarro/) > [He looked like someone with a steerage ticket on the titanic. Somebody who'd be standing in line at Ellis Island. Undiluted and old-blooded. Also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/he-looked-like-someone-with-a-steerage-ticket-on-the-titanic-somebody/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [We must not forget that these men and women who file through the narrow gates at Ellis Island, hopeful, confused, with bundles of misconceptions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-weyl/we-must-not-forget-that-these-men-and-women-who-file-through-the/) [Walter Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-weyl/) > [I always remember to go on the Staten Island Ferry because it's the most amazing view of New York. And it's free! You see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-pigott-smith/i-always-remember-to-go-on-the-staten-island-ferry-because-it-s-the/) [Tim Pigott-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-pigott-smith/) > [“You like Nick a lot, don't you, Nora?" Dorothy asked. "He's an old Greek fool, but I'm used to him." "Charles isn't a Greek…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/you-like-nick-a-lot-don-t-you-nora-dorothy-asked-he-s-an-old-greek/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [I don't know the numbers, but roughly half of the people who came through Ellis Island returned home. They came here to make money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-don-t-know-the-numbers-but-roughly-half-of-the-people-who-came/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [Beginning with a trip out to Ellis Island, I saw for myself where thousands of European immigrants took their first steps onto American soil,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/beginning-with-a-trip-out-to-ellis-island-i-saw-for-myself-where/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [Your grandparents did not endure the indignities of a steerage journey to Ellis Island so that you could stand outside a discothèque and beg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/your-grandparents-did-not-endure-the-indignities-of-a-steerage/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [The Islamic community today is faced with a new version of an old struggle. My late mother used to say it doesn't matter whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/the-islamic-community-today-is-faced-with-a-new-version-of-an-old/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) [Browse all 41 Ellis island quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ellis-island/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“America and Greece are at different stops on the same one-way street, all too familiar to us immigrants. There's nothing new about Obama: been there, done that. Nothing could be less hopeful, or less of a change. He's the land where we grew up, with its union bullies and marginal tax rates and government automobiles and general air of decay all re-emerging Brigadoon-like from the mists entirely unspoilt by progress. it's like docking at Ellis Island in 1883, coming down the gangplank, and finding everyone excited about this pilot program they've introduced called \"serfdom\".”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Steyn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/america-and-greece-are-at-different-stops-on-the-same-one-way-street/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ellis island" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/america-and-greece-are-at-different-stops-on-the-same-one-way-street/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/mark-steyn-1844_ellis-island_america-and-greece-are-at-different-stop_1732533.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/mark-steyn-1844_ellis-island_america-and-greece-are-at-different-stop_1732533.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/mark-steyn-1844_ellis-island_america-and-greece-are-at-different-stop_1732533.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“America and Greece are at different stops on the same one-way street, all too familiar to us immigrants…” — Mark Steyn", "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": "Mark Steyn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“America and Greece are at different...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/america-and-greece-are-at-different-stops-on-the-same-one-way-street/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/america-and-greece-are-at-different-stops-on-the-same-one-way-street/#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 } } ] } ```