--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is an amazing something in the…" description: "\"There is an amazing something in the American psyche which speaks about courage, and it says, 'Yes I can,' ... Yes, we will overcome it all because we ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/maya-angelou-104_courage_there-is-an-amazing-something-in-the-ame_521690.png" --- # There is an amazing something in the American psyche which… ![“There is an amazing something in the American psyche which speaks about courage, and it says, 'Yes I can,' ... Yes, we will overcome it all because we have the spirit to do so.” quote by Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/maya-angelou-104_courage_there-is-an-amazing-something-in-the-ame_521690.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/maya-angelou-104_courage_there-is-an-amazing-something-in-the-ame_521690.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/317/maya-angelou-104_courage_there-is-an-amazing-something-in-the-ame_521690.png) > “There is an amazing something in the American psyche which speaks about courage, and it says, 'Yes I can,' ... Yes, we will overcome it all because we have the spirit to do so.” [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The American identity includes an innate courage and optimism that fuels perseverance despite challenges. **In simple terms:** America’s spirit is hopeful and resilient. Key Takeaway Believe in collective strength. Themes courage optimism national identity Mood inspirational hopeful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - social movements - personal setbacks - community building Key Concepts psychology sociology Questions to Reflect On - What fuels your personal courage? - How can optimism be balanced with realism? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can ignore systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Overcoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcoming/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Yes i can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yes-i-can/) ## Related quotes > [Never give in, never surrender, Never allow despair to overcome your spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/never-give-in-never-surrender-never-allow-despair-to-overcome-your/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [“Pulling through is what people do around here. There is a kind of bravery in their lives that isn’t bravery at all. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/pulling-through-is-what-people-do-around-here-there-is-a-kind-of/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [To all who suffer- to all who feel discouraged, worried, or lonely- I say with love and deep concern for you, never give in.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/to-all-who-suffer-to-all-who-feel-discouraged-worried-or-lonely-i-say/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [There is no one more courageous than the person who speaks with the courage of his convictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/there-is-no-one-more-courageous-than-the-person-who-speaks-with-the/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Sometimes speakers need to talk about subjects that don't interest them much, especially at work. I believe this is harder for introverts, who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/sometimes-speakers-need-to-talk-about-subjects-that-don-t-interest/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [When the curtain rises, the only thing that speaks is courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/when-the-curtain-rises-the-only-thing-that-speaks-is-courage/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [Some writers whom I respect very much, like China Miéville and some others of the New Weird, consider the true role of fantasy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/some-writers-whom-i-respect-very-much-like-china-mi-ville-and-some/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [As far as the illusion of the fame, yes, I can definitely appreciate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-perry/as-far-as-the-illusion-of-the-fame-yes-i-can-definitely-appreciate-it/) [Tyler Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-perry/) > [Yes, I can play younger than my age. But I can play characters older than I am, too. I'm not an actor who can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/yes-i-can-play-younger-than-my-age-but-i-can-play-characters-older/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > ['Agent Mom' is a perfect opportunity for me to do what I love... develop characters, act and take incredible stories to my fans. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alaina-huffman/agent-mom-is-a-perfect-opportunity-for-me-to-do-what-i-love-develop/) [Alaina Huffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alaina-huffman/) > [“If you think it is possible, it will be possible. If you think it is impossible, the imposible will be possible. Whatever you think;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/if-you-think-it-is-possible-it-will-be-possible-if-you-think-it-is/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“Yes, I can understand that a man might go to gambling table - when he sees that all that lies between himself and death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/yes-i-can-understand-that-a-man-might-go-to-gambling-table-when-he/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [Whenever there's a red carpet event coming up my trainer in LA that I see, I always come to her like three days before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/whenever-there-s-a-red-carpet-event-coming-up-my-trainer-in-la-that-i/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) > [I, a Laconian dog, can bite again: Yes, I can make the Daunian tiger flee, Much more a bragging, foul-mouth'd whelp like thee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-kirke-white/i-a-laconian-dog-can-bite-again-yes-i-can-make-the-daunian-tiger-flee/) [Henry Kirke White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-kirke-white/) > [I don't know anything but I can do everything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mabor-maker-kulang/i-don-t-know-anything-but-i-can-do-everything/) Mabor Maker Kulang ## More by Maya Angelou > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You want me to do something... tell me I can't do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-want-me-to-do-something-tell-me-i-can-t-do-it/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life is going to give you just what you put in it. Put your whole heart in everything you do, and pray, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-is-going-to-give-you-just-what-you-put-in-it-put-your-whole/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-may-write-me-down-in-history-with-your-bitter-twisted-lies-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The more you know of your history, the more liberated you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-more-you-know-of-your-history-the-more-liberated-you-are/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life offers us tickets to places which we have not knowingly asked for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-offers-us-tickets-to-places-which-we-have-not-knowingly-asked-for/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm working at trying to be a Christian, and that's serious business. It's like trying to be a good Jew, a good Muslim, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-m-working-at-trying-to-be-a-christian-and-that-s-serious-business/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Nathaniel Hawthorne once said that easy reading is damn hard writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/nathaniel-hawthorne-once-said-that-easy-reading-is-damn-hard-writing/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Sunday, if I'm lucky, I'll go to church or listen to some good spiritual advice on the television or on the radio. I take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/sunday-if-i-m-lucky-i-ll-go-to-church-or-listen-to-some-good/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) [Explore all 1,313 Maya Angelou quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## More Courage quotes > [The greatest act of courage is to be and to ownall of who you are—without apology, without excuses, without masks to cover the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-ford/the-greatest-act-of-courage-is-to-be-and-to-ownall-of-who-you-are/) [Debbie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-ford/) > [“It takes tremendous courage, persistence, and perseverance to pursue your ultimate purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/it-takes-tremendous-courage-persistence-and-perseverance-to-pursue/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) James T. Conway > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“Tranquillity is courage in repose. It is a statical manifestation of valor, as daring deeds are a dynamical. A truly brave man is ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inazo-nitobe/tranquillity-is-courage-in-repose-it-is-a-statical-manifestation-of/) [Inazo Nitobe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inazo-nitobe/) > [When you heed the calling of your heart, you are following your purpose. Having purpose in your life gives you the courage to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-britten/when-you-heed-the-calling-of-your-heart-you-are-following-your/) [Rhonda Britten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-britten/) > [“Of all the train, none escaped except Wamba, who showed upon the occasion much more courage than those who pretended to greater sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/of-all-the-train-none-escaped-except-wamba-who-showed-upon-the/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Certainly these are not easy times. But history does not contain very many easy times. Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [Have the courage to go against the tide of current values that do not conform to the path of Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/have-the-courage-to-go-against-the-tide-of-current-values-that-do-not/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“There is nothing purer, braver, or more beautiful than the try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-armstrong/there-is-nothing-purer-braver-or-more-beautiful-than-the-try/) Kristen Armstrong > [“One theory on cannibals, of course, is that they eat parts of their slain enemies to benefit from that person's greatest assets - their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-powell/one-theory-on-cannibals-of-course-is-that-they-eat-parts-of-their/) [Julie Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-powell/) > [It is a tragedy that we live in a world where physical courage is so common, and moral courage is so rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/it-is-a-tragedy-that-we-live-in-a-world-where-physical-courage-is-so/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [I have pictures with Morimoto where I'm all embarrassed and he's so serious, it took me 30 minutes to get up the courage to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcela-valladolid/i-have-pictures-with-morimoto-where-i-m-all-embarrassed-and-he-s-so/) [Marcela Valladolid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcela-valladolid/) [Browse all 14,559 Courage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is an amazing something in the American psyche which speaks about courage, and it says, 'Yes I can,' ... 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