--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Americans always think they have to lead…" description: "\"Americans always think they have to lead. I'm interested in ambiguity.\" — Mary Harron" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/341/mary-harron-15320_ambiguity_americans-always-think-they-have-to-lead_2193224.jpg" --- # Americans always think they have to lead. I'm interested… ![“Americans always think they have to lead. I'm interested in ambiguity.” quote by Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/341/mary-harron-15320_ambiguity_americans-always-think-they-have-to-lead_2193224.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/341/mary-harron-15320_ambiguity_americans-always-think-they-have-to-lead_2193224.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/341/mary-harron-15320_ambiguity_americans-always-think-they-have-to-lead_2193224.jpg) > “Americans always think they have to lead. I'm interested in ambiguity.” [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights a cultural tendency toward dominance and a fascination with uncertainty. **In simple terms:** Americans often feel they must lead, yet value ambiguity. Key Takeaway Recognize and balance leadership urges with openness to uncertainty. Themes leadership confidence ambiguity culture identity Mood reflective critical analytical Type philosophical commentary When to use this quote - team meetings - political debates - personal decision making - cross‑cultural interactions Key Concepts social dynamics power structures psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does your desire to lead affect your openness to ambiguous situations? - In what ways can embracing ambiguity improve leadership? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on leading can suppress collaboration and creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambiguity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguity/) [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [My parents don't care what Americans think of us; we just care what the other Indian people in our community think of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himanshu-suri/my-parents-don-t-care-what-americans-think-of-us-we-just-care-what/) [Himanshu Suri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himanshu-suri/) > [Many Americans think of the rest of the world as a kind of Disneyland, a showplace for quaint fauna, flora and artifacts. They dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/many-americans-think-of-the-rest-of-the-world-as-a-kind-of-disneyland/) [Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/) > [We Americans think quite highly of ourselves, and nothing makes us think more of ourselves than our romantic view of our presidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/we-americans-think-quite-highly-of-ourselves-and-nothing-makes-us/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [A lot of Americans think we need to stand stronger. I don't disagree with that. But that doesn't mean you go picking fights with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/a-lot-of-americans-think-we-need-to-stand-stronger-i-don-t-disagree/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [You know the way it is: sometimes Americans think of us as their backward little cousin. It's the whole shamrock, potatoes, famine, leprechaun thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheamus/you-know-the-way-it-is-sometimes-americans-think-of-us-as-their/) [Sheamus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheamus/) > [Irish people never think we're Irish. Americans think we're European or French.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-marshall/irish-people-never-think-we-re-irish-americans-think-we-re-european/) [Winston Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-marshall/) > [Most Americans think there's already universal background checks. They don't understand why there wouldn't be a background check to purchase a weapon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/most-americans-think-there-s-already-universal-background-checks-they/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [Americans think they're the leader of the world and yet can say that they're putting their economic interests ahead of the lives of -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/americans-think-they-re-the-leader-of-the-world-and-yet-can-say-that/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Americans think of themselves collectively as a huge rescue squad on twenty-four hour call to any spot on the globe where dispute and conflict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eldridge-cleaver/americans-think-of-themselves-collectively-as-a-huge-rescue-squad-on/) [Eldridge Cleaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eldridge-cleaver/) > [I love 'The Americans.' I think it's one of the best shows on TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-scott/i-love-the-americans-i-think-it-s-one-of-the-best-shows-on-tv/) [Reid Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-scott/) > [ I think we all \[americans\] think we're a special country. But the question is, what - what call does that give us? ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-matthews/i-think-we-all-americans-think-we-re-a-special-country-but-the/) [Chris Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-matthews/) > [There's still a lot of Americans who think that those who perpetrated the attacks on 9/11 came from Canada, which is absolutely and totally incorrect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fadden/there-s-still-a-lot-of-americans-who-think-that-those-who-perpetrated/) Richard Fadden > [Americans think Soviets are so grim. I want them to see that they can smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yakov-smirnoff/americans-think-soviets-are-so-grim-i-want-them-to-see-that-they-can/) [Yakov Smirnoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yakov-smirnoff/) > [I have the unmitigated gall to think that I could lead men anywhere, business, politics or combat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-goldwater/i-have-the-unmitigated-gall-to-think-that-i-could-lead-men-anywhere/) [Barry Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-goldwater/) > [I think I lead with empathy and connection to our people. I find that the most effective leadership style for me is to just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartz/i-think-i-lead-with-empathy-and-connection-to-our-people-i-find-that/) [Julia Hartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartz/) ## More by Mary Harron > [My films have elements of genre in them, which prevents them from being purely art films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/my-films-have-elements-of-genre-in-them-which-prevents-them-from/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [Some actors can draw from their own darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/some-actors-can-draw-from-their-own-darkness/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [I make unpopular versions of popular things. I make a horror film and it's not a horror film. None of my genre movies function…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/i-make-unpopular-versions-of-popular-things-i-make-a-horror-film-and/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [I see that women still have self-doubt, and at the same time I feel like I see all these fantastic young women, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/i-see-that-women-still-have-self-doubt-and-at-the-same-time-i-feel/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [I remember being really interested in the sad parts of Los Angeles, of which there are many, and knowing we weren't up in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/i-remember-being-really-interested-in-the-sad-parts-of-los-angeles-of/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [I realized you can always make money; you just do a lot of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/i-realized-you-can-always-make-money-you-just-do-a-lot-of-things/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [I grew up interested in the underside of Hollywood, which I think David Lynch does really well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/i-grew-up-interested-in-the-underside-of-hollywood-which-i-think/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [I'm not trying to make the world a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/i-m-not-trying-to-make-the-world-a-better-place/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [The really important people in TV are not the directors; they're the writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/the-really-important-people-in-tv-are-not-the-directors-they-re-the/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [They say that depression is anger you turn on yourself, and I think women do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/they-say-that-depression-is-anger-you-turn-on-yourself-and-i-think/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [At any age you can start over. You have to drop the idea of where you should be in your career. And you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/at-any-age-you-can-start-over-you-have-to-drop-the-idea-of-where-you/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [Movies are a commitment. They take years of your life and they have big consequences. That's one of the bad things about movies -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/movies-are-a-commitment-they-take-years-of-your-life-and-they-have/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [There's no need to be tragic or destroy yourself or jump off a cliff. That's no longer the paradigm I wish to follow, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/there-s-no-need-to-be-tragic-or-destroy-yourself-or-jump-off-a-cliff/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [In my early thirties I was working in television as a researcher. I was really stuck for a period of five years. I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/in-my-early-thirties-i-was-working-in-television-as-a-researcher-i/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) > [Bettie Page was the first person to do bondage as fashion, because for her it really was all about dressing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-harron/bettie-page-was-the-first-person-to-do-bondage-as-fashion-because-for/) [Mary Harron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) [Explore all 43 Mary Harron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-harron/) ## More Ambiguity quotes > [The position is clear - there is no ambiguity in Sinn Fein's position. We, along with all the other parties, have signed up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mcguinness/the-position-is-clear-there-is-no-ambiguity-in-sinn-fein-s-position/) [Martin McGuinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mcguinness/) > [Ambiguity is necessary in some of my stories, not in all. In those, it certainly contributes to the richness of the story. I doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/ambiguity-is-necessary-in-some-of-my-stories-not-in-all-in-those-it/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [During the Cold War, we lived in coded times when it wasn't easy and there were shades of grey and ambiguity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/during-the-cold-war-we-lived-in-coded-times-when-it-wasn-t-easy-and/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [You cannot grow in the integrative dance of action and contemplation without a strong tolerance for ambiguity, an ability to allow, forgive, and contain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/you-cannot-grow-in-the-integrative-dance-of-action-and-contemplation/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [I blame my grandfather 100 percent for his oldest son's death. I don't think there's any ambiguity there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-l-trump/i-blame-my-grandfather-100-percent-for-his-oldest-son-s-death-i-don-t/) [Mary L. Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-l-trump/) > [I think the relationship between social-dominance orientation in people and the extent to which they're made uncomfortable by ambiguity and novelty is really important.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/i-think-the-relationship-between-social-dominance-orientation-in/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [Yet again, an ancient answer echoes across the centuries: Listen! Listen to stories! For what stories do, above all else, is hold up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-kurtz/yet-again-an-ancient-answer-echoes-across-the-centuries-listen-listen/) [Ernest Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-kurtz/) > [My path to wisdom began when I stopped pretending to know things I didn't know. When I explicitly admitted to the limits of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/my-path-to-wisdom-began-when-i-stopped-pretending-to-know-things-i/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [If there is a single tragic flaw that mars our biggest enterprises, it is conservatism - the failure to fail, and fail big, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-there-is-a-single-tragic-flaw-that-mars-our-biggest-enterprises-it/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [In order to be as free as I possibly can, in my own imagination, I can't take positions that are closed. Everything I've ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/in-order-to-be-as-free-as-i-possibly-can-in-my-own-imagination-i-can/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [I've always been drawn to ambiguity in pop music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-ve-always-been-drawn-to-ambiguity-in-pop-music/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I believe that we can still have a genre of scientific books suitable for and accessible alike to professionals and interested laypeople. The concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-believe-that-we-can-still-have-a-genre-of-scientific-books-suitable/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I am in the utmost perplexity, yand have wished a hundred times, that if there is a A God, nature would manifest him without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/i-am-in-the-utmost-perplexity-yand-have-wished-a-hundred-times-that/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [There's a lot of ambiguity in life, and so often, our art is very neatly wrapped up at the end, when our lives never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-coon/there-s-a-lot-of-ambiguity-in-life-and-so-often-our-art-is-very/) [Carrie Coon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-coon/) > [“Man must not attempt to dispel the ambiguity of his being but, on the contrary, accept the task of realizing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/man-must-not-attempt-to-dispel-the-ambiguity-of-his-being-but-on-the/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) [Browse all 431 Ambiguity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Americans always think they have to lead. 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