---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the greatest taboos in America…"
description: "\"I think the greatest taboos in America are faith and failure.\" — Michael Malone"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/michael-malone-40660_america_i-think-the-greatest-taboos-in-america-a_1734542.png"
---

#  I think the greatest taboos in America are faith and…

![“I think the greatest taboos in America are faith and failure.” quote by Michael Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/michael-malone-40660_america_i-think-the-greatest-taboos-in-america-a_1734542.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/michael-malone-40660_america_i-think-the-greatest-taboos-in-america-a_1734542.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/michael-malone-40660_america_i-think-the-greatest-taboos-in-america-a_1734542.png)

> “I think the greatest taboos in America are faith and failure.”

[Michael Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-malone/)

## About This Quote

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

American culture often avoids discussing personal faith and the fear of failing, treating them as taboo subjects that hinder honest dialogue.

**In simple terms:** Faith and failure are often avoided topics in the US.

Key Takeaway

Encourage open conversations about belief and setbacks.

Themes

culture taboos faith failure communication

Mood

thoughtful challenging inquisitive

Type

sociological motivational

When to use this quote

- team meetings
- therapy groups
- public forums
- educational workshops

Key Concepts

psychology social norms risk tolerance

Questions to Reflect On

- What would change if faith and failure were openly discussed?
- How can we normalize talking about setbacks?

A Different Perspective

Some may view faith as private, limiting public discourse.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [America Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-faith-1116123/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Faith Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith-failure-1461417/) [Greatest Taboos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-taboos-1461416/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Taboos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taboos/) [Taboos America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taboos-america-1461415/)

## Related quotes

> [Greenleaf' is about family, but also about faith and failure and real human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-joy-winans/greenleaf-is-about-family-but-also-about-faith-and-failure-and-real/)

[Deborah Joy Winans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-joy-winans/)

> [We may infer from any defeat of ours that it is due either to lack of faith or failure to obey. No other reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/we-may-infer-from-any-defeat-of-ours-that-it-is-due-either-to-lack-of/)

[Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/)

> [That is the true genius of America, a faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence on small miracles. That we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-is-the-true-genius-of-america-a-faith-in-the-simple-dreams-of-2/)

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

> [I will become known In America: I have faith in myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demis-roussos/i-will-become-known-in-america-i-have-faith-in-myself/)

[Demis Roussos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demis-roussos/)

> [That is the true genius of America-a faith in simple dreams, an insistence on small miracles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-is-the-true-genius-of-america-a-faith-in-simple-dreams-an/)

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

> [That is the true genius of America, a faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence on small miracles. That we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-is-the-true-genius-of-america-a-faith-in-the-simple-dreams-of/)

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

> [“We do not take democracy for granted. We feel it grow in our working together—many millions of us working toward a common purpose. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-bulosan/we-do-not-take-democracy-for-granted-we-feel-it-grow-in-our-working/)

[Carlos Bulosan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-bulosan/)

> [Through much of the last century, America's faith in freedom and democracy was a rock in a raging sea. Now it is a seed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/through-much-of-the-last-century-america-s-faith-in-freedom-and/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [There is nothing wrong with America that the faith, love of freedom, intelligence, and energy of her citizens can not cure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-nothing-wrong-with-america-that-the-faith-love-of-freedom/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [ \[People of faith must\] reassure them \[atheists\] that we share with them the core values of America, that our faith is not inconsistent with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lieberman/people-of-faith-must-reassure-them-atheists-that-we-share-with-them/)

[Joe Lieberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lieberman/)

> [There is nothing wrong with America that faith, love of freedom, intelligence, and energy of her citizens cannot cure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/there-is-nothing-wrong-with-america-that-faith-love-of-freedom/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [Taboos on the human heart are more dangerous than any risk we run by using our emotions. Sensation is the life of man; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-bottome/taboos-on-the-human-heart-are-more-dangerous-than-any-risk-we-run-by/)

[Phyllis Bottome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-bottome/)

> [“Gossip, unless aimed or honed sharp like a weapon, was natural to human beings. It showed interestin oe's fellows, interest in the well being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevada-barr/gossip-unless-aimed-or-honed-sharp-like-a-weapon-was-natural-to-human/)

[Nevada Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevada-barr/)

> [Remember, taboos are just a map of what a society feels it's acceptable to be neurotic about. Taboos aren't rational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-boyle/remember-taboos-are-just-a-map-of-what-a-society-feels-it-s/)

[Frankie Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-boyle/)

> [“Zeena Schreck believes that the right-hand path and the left-hand path have traditionally had the same end goal; it is only the method that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/zeena-schreck-believes-that-the-right-hand-path-and-the-left-hand/)

[Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/)

## More by Michael Malone

> [It's especially important since September 11 for people to be trained for the unexpected. We want to try to make sure people are safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-malone/it-s-especially-important-since-september-11-for-people-to-be-trained/)

[Michael Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-malone/)

> [“And the light kept darkness away until the Morning Star came and found it burning”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-malone/and-the-light-kept-darkness-away-until-the-morning-star-came-and/)

[Michael Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-malone/)

> [Outsiders think of Silicon Valley as a success story, but in truth, it is a graveyard. Failure.. is Silicon Valley's greatest strength. Every failed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-malone/outsiders-think-of-silicon-valley-as-a-success-story-but-in-truth-it/)

[Michael Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-malone/)

> [You don't need great skill to be a tough rebounder; being a rebounder is all about effort, determination, and physicality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-malone/you-don-t-need-great-skill-to-be-a-tough-rebounder-being-a-rebounder/)

[Michael Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-malone/)

> [“So entangled are we in our own designs that the concurrent and often conflicting plots of our families, friends, and enemies may come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-malone/so-entangled-are-we-in-our-own-designs-that-the-concurrent-and-often/)

[Michael Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-malone/)

> [There is nothing more profoundly serious than real comedy, which is an affirmation of human communion, redemption and grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-malone/there-is-nothing-more-profoundly-serious-than-real-comedy-which-is-an/)

[Michael Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-malone/)

> [As Gloria Steinem said about Ginger Rogers: She was doing everything Fred Astaire was doing, just doing it backwards in high heels. Well, Southern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-malone/as-gloria-steinem-said-about-ginger-rogers-she-was-doing-everything/)

[Michael Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-malone/)

> [“Ernest Ransom: These are not the best if times...as your editorials remind us A.A. Hayes : Why not get a Democrat back in there?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-malone/ernest-ransom-these-are-not-the-best-if-times-as-your-editorials/)

[Michael Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-malone/)

> [“Time is so terribly inconsistent, I find, the way it hurries on or stands still.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-malone/time-is-so-terribly-inconsistent-i-find-the-way-it-hurries-on-or/)

[Michael Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-malone/)

[Explore all 10 Michael Malone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-malone/)

## More America quotes

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/)

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

> [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/)

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

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/)

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

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/)

[Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/)

> [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

[Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think the greatest taboos in America are faith and failure.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Malone"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-malone/i-think-the-greatest-taboos-in-america-are-faith-and-failure/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "America"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-malone/i-think-the-greatest-taboos-in-america-are-faith-and-failure/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/michael-malone-40660_america_i-think-the-greatest-taboos-in-america-a_1734542.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/michael-malone-40660_america_i-think-the-greatest-taboos-in-america-a_1734542.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf8/michael-malone-40660_america_i-think-the-greatest-taboos-in-america-a_1734542.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think the greatest taboos in America are faith and failure.” — Michael Malone",
                "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": "Michael Malone",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-malone/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think the greatest taboos in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-malone/i-think-the-greatest-taboos-in-america-are-faith-and-failure/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-malone/i-think-the-greatest-taboos-in-america-are-faith-and-failure/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
