---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Having emigrated to the United States as…"
description: "\"Having emigrated to the United States as a small boy from the Soviet Union, I am instinctively suspicious of socialism and inveterately opposed to comm..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/max-boot-4274_communism_having-emigrated-to-the-united-states-as_1368207.jpg"
---

#  Having emigrated to the United States as a small boy from…

![“Having emigrated to the United States as a small boy from the Soviet Union, I am instinctively suspicious of socialism and inveterately opposed to communism.” quote by Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/max-boot-4274_communism_having-emigrated-to-the-united-states-as_1368207.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/max-boot-4274_communism_having-emigrated-to-the-united-states-as_1368207.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/max-boot-4274_communism_having-emigrated-to-the-united-states-as_1368207.jpg)

> “Having emigrated to the United States as a small boy from the Soviet Union, I am instinctively suspicious of socialism and inveterately opposed to communism.”

[Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

## About This Quote

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

His personal history makes him distrust socialist ideas and oppose communism strongly.

**In simple terms:** Skeptical of socialism due to personal experience.

Key Takeaway

Critically evaluate political systems.

Themes

politics history ideology

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

political analytical

When to use this quote

- policy analysis
- academic debate
- public discourse
- voting decisions

Key Concepts

socialism communism personal bias

Questions to Reflect On

- How does personal history shape political views?
- Can you separate experience from ideology?

A Different Perspective

His bias may limit openness to alternative viewpoints.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communism/) [I am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-am/) [Instinctively Suspicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinctively-suspicious-2583425/) [Opposed Communism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposed-communism-4704606/) [Socialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialism/) [Socialism Inveterately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialism-inveterately-4704605/) [Soviet union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet-union/) [Suspicious Socialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspicious-socialism-4704604/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm instinctively very suspicious and guarded, and I try to counteract it so much. I find reason allows you to be open, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcavoy/i-m-instinctively-very-suspicious-and-guarded-and-i-try-to-counteract/)

[James McAvoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcavoy/)

> [ “Whenever the communists are under fire, it \[the term "red-baiter"\] has served to divert attention from the subject matter to futile discussion of personal… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lyons/whenever-the-communists-are-under-fire-it-the-term-red-baiter-has/)

[Eugene Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lyons/)

> [National Defense A strong USA defense brought down the Soviet Union. It was Ronald Reagan - first in a speech at Notre Dame University…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/national-defense-a-strong-usa-defense-brought-down-the-soviet-union/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [The Soviet Union attempted to export communism to the entire world. We know what came of that. Now the West is trying to export…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-yakunin/the-soviet-union-attempted-to-export-communism-to-the-entire-world-we/)

[Vladimir Yakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-yakunin/)

> [“No one, even as a joke, could call a member of the all-Union Communist Party a Neo-Hegelian, a Neo-Kantian, a Subjectivist, an Agnostic, or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/no-one-even-as-a-joke-could-call-a-member-of-the-all-union-communist/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [In the Soviet Union, capitalism triumphed over communism. In this country, capitalism triumphed over democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/in-the-soviet-union-capitalism-triumphed-over-communism-in-this/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [That nations that have gone for equality, like Communism, have neither freedom nor justice nor equality, they've the greatest inequalities of all, the privileges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/that-nations-that-have-gone-for-equality-like-communism-have-neither/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [What the Soviet Union was to the ideology of Marxism, the Low-Fat Campaign is to the ideology of nutritionism—its supreme test and, as now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/what-the-soviet-union-was-to-the-ideology-of-marxism-the-low-fat/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [The fascinating thing to a dispassionate observer about the structure of life in the Soviet Union is that in their efforts to produce an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/the-fascinating-thing-to-a-dispassionate-observer-about-the-structure/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [“The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented. From the Soviet Union to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-problem-in-venezuela-is-not-that-socialism-has-been-poorly/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [The challenge is whether China as a rising country, the United States as the superpower, can develop a cooperative relationship in this period before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/the-challenge-is-whether-china-as-a-rising-country-the-united-states/)

[Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/)

> [I have one of the strongest records in fighting for senior citizens. I led the effort to prevent cuts to Social Security. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-have-one-of-the-strongest-records-in-fighting-for-senior-citizens-i/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

> [“I belong to a generation that came of age listening to news of the collapse of the Communist dicatorships and never felt the slightest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/i-belong-to-a-generation-that-came-of-age-listening-to-news-of-the/)

[Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/)

> [The Soviet Union and something called communism per se had not been the object of Washington's global attacks. There had never been an International…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/the-soviet-union-and-something-called-communism-per-se-had-not-been/)

[William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/)

> [Gentlemen, comrades, do not be concerned about all you hear about Glasnost and Perestroika and democracy in the coming years. They are primarily for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/gentlemen-comrades-do-not-be-concerned-about-all-you-hear-about/)

[Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/)

## More by Max Boot

> [The history of the modern Republican Party is the story of moderates being driven out and conservatives taking over - and then of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/the-history-of-the-modern-republican-party-is-the-story-of-moderates/)

[Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

> [“There were few more unlikely candidates in 1611 for Great Power status than Sweden. Even with its satrapy of Finland, the total population numbered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/there-were-few-more-unlikely-candidates-in-1611-for-great-power/)

[Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

> [The John F. Kennedy presidency, with its glittering court of Camelot, cemented the impression that it was the Democrats who represented the thinking men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/the-john-f-kennedy-presidency-with-its-glittering-court-of-camelot/)

[Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

> [There are two kinds of people: Those who like active vacations and those who like sedentary vacations. I'm one of the weird hybrids who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-those-who-like-active-vacations-and/)

[Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

> [Silence is complicity. All Republicans who stand mute in the face of Trump's latest racism are telling you who they really are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/silence-is-complicity-all-republicans-who-stand-mute-in-the-face-of/)

[Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

> [Joe Biden stands out from other Democratic candidates not just by taking on President Trump directly but also by seeking to separate Trump from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/joe-biden-stands-out-from-other-democratic-candidates-not-just-by/)

[Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

> [What would I do now, at age 48, if I were deported to a country that I have not seen in more than 40…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/what-would-i-do-now-at-age-48-if-i-were-deported-to-a-country-that-i/)

[Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

> [Neoconservatism' once had a real meaning - back in the 1970s. But the label has now become meaningless. With many of those who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/neoconservatism-once-had-a-real-meaning-back-in-the-1970s-but-the/)

[Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

> [To win in 2020, a Democratic nominee will need to win back voters in key Midwestern states who supported Trump in 2016.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/to-win-in-2020-a-democratic-nominee-will-need-to-win-back-voters-in/)

[Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

> [Olga E. Kagan was the strongest woman I knew - and probably the reason I've spent my life with other strong women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/olga-e-kagan-was-the-strongest-woman-i-knew-and-probably-the-reason-i/)

[Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

> [“But in the military sphere, just as in science, economics, art, or culture, change is not evenly distributed across space and time. Sometimes innovations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/but-in-the-military-sphere-just-as-in-science-economics-art-or/)

[Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

> [Thirty years on, I am no longer as certain about anything as I was at age 20. I now regret my support for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/thirty-years-on-i-am-no-longer-as-certain-about-anything-as-i-was-at/)

[Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

> [The 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, has not so far provoked the kind of anguished debate that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/the-60th-anniversary-of-the-atomic-bombing-of-hiroshima-on-aug-6-1945/)

[Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

> [“The dominance of the man on horseback was challenged during the fourteenth century in what some historians call the infantry revolution. English longbowmen and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/the-dominance-of-the-man-on-horseback-was-challenged-during-the/)

[Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

> [“a crucial element of English success was their commanders’ ability to learn on the fly, make adjustments, and attempt new tactics. The Spanish paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/a-crucial-element-of-english-success-was-their-commanders-ability-to/)

[Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

[Explore all 113 Max Boot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/)

## More Communism quotes

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [I didn't understand Southland Tales script at all! Is there a single word to describe it? Cacophony? It's celebrity meets pornography meets politics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-grant/i-didn-t-understand-southland-tales-script-at-all-is-there-a-single/)

[Beth Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-grant/)

> [It is popular to call it a crisis of the Western world. It is in fact a crisis of the whole world. Communism, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/it-is-popular-to-call-it-a-crisis-of-the-western-world-it-is-in-fact/)

[Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/)

> [“Despite Soviet 'defeat' in 1991, the ideas associated with Communism remain shockingly reputable throughout what we still know as the Free World.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-west/despite-soviet-defeat-in-1991-the-ideas-associated-with-communism/)

[Diana West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-west/)

> [Capitalism, communism ... it's all garbage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/capitalism-communism-it-s-all-garbage/)

[Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/)

> [Communism... is the genuine resolution of the antagonism between man and nature and between man and man; it is the true resolution of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/communism-is-the-genuine-resolution-of-the-antagonism-between-man-and/)

[Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/)

> [“Occult Theft,--Theft which hides itself even from itself, and is legal, respectable, and cowardly,--corrupts the body and soul of man, to the last fibre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/occult-theft-theft-which-hides-itself-even-from-itself-and-is-legal/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [Motherland is our property and we have right to handle our properties as pleased. The jokes about death for the sake of the motherland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/motherland-is-our-property-and-we-have-right-to-handle-our-properties/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [“Socialists and Progressives confuse compassion and compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-samaan/socialists-and-progressives-confuse-compassion-and-compulsion/)

[A.E. Samaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-samaan/)

> [Your best friends are your principles, if you havent them, dont look for another friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/your-best-friends-are-your-principles-if-you-havent-them-dont-look/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [If I paint a hammer and sickle people may think it is a representation of Communism, but for me it is only a hammer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/if-i-paint-a-hammer-and-sickle-people-may-think-it-is-a/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [Our power does not know liberty or justice. It is established on the destruction of the individual will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/our-power-does-not-know-liberty-or-justice-it-is-established-on-the/)

[Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/)

> [A strong saying is not afraid of criticism, because it includes all the answers to criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/a-strong-saying-is-not-afraid-of-criticism-because-it-includes-all/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [I think it's sort of the hypothetical point where communism and fascism meet. They love tragedy, and they love surface beauty. You just watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-forrest/i-think-it-s-sort-of-the-hypothetical-point-where-communism-and/)

[Emma Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-forrest/)

> [Communism is inequality, but not as property is. Property is exploitation of the weak by the strong. Communism is exploitation of the strong by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-joseph-proudhon/communism-is-inequality-but-not-as-property-is-property-is/)

[Pierre-Joseph Proudhon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-joseph-proudhon/)

[Browse all 1,510 Communism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Having emigrated to the United States as a small boy from the Soviet Union, I am instinctively suspicious of socialism and inveterately opposed to communism.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Max Boot"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/having-emigrated-to-the-united-states-as-a-small-boy-from-the-soviet/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/having-emigrated-to-the-united-states-as-a-small-boy-from-the-soviet/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/max-boot-4274_communism_having-emigrated-to-the-united-states-as_1368207.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/max-boot-4274_communism_having-emigrated-to-the-united-states-as_1368207.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/max-boot-4274_communism_having-emigrated-to-the-united-states-as_1368207.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Having emigrated to the United States as a small boy from the Soviet Union, I am instinctively suspicious of…” — Max Boot",
                "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": "Max Boot",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Having emigrated to the United States...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/having-emigrated-to-the-united-states-as-a-small-boy-from-the-soviet/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/having-emigrated-to-the-united-states-as-a-small-boy-from-the-soviet/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
