--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What cultural DNA remains from those…" description: "\"What cultural DNA remains from those first Puritan forays onto American soil may be our love of a fresh start.\" — Nancy Gibbs" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/nancy-gibbs-2206_american_what-cultural-dna-remains-from-those-fir_1615231.png" --- # What cultural DNA remains from those first Puritan forays… ![“What cultural DNA remains from those first Puritan forays onto American soil may be our love of a fresh start.” quote by Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/nancy-gibbs-2206_american_what-cultural-dna-remains-from-those-fir_1615231.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/nancy-gibbs-2206_american_what-cultural-dna-remains-from-those-fir_1615231.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/nancy-gibbs-2206_american_what-cultural-dna-remains-from-those-fir_1615231.png) > “What cultural DNA remains from those first Puritan forays onto American soil may be our love of a fresh start.” [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She suggests that early Puritan values may underlie America’s love for fresh starts, linking historical DNA to modern optimism. **In simple terms:** Puritan roots inspire fresh starts. Key Takeaway Recognize historical influences on current aspirations. Themes history culture optimism Mood reflective inspirational Type cultural historical When to use this quote - education - public policy - media narratives Key Concepts national identity foundational myths renewal Questions to Reflect On - How does early culture shape national identity? - Can we redefine “fresh start” today? A Different Perspective Historical narratives can be selective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dna/) [Fresh start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-start/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Puritan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puritan/) ## Related quotes > [Jewish history has been in my cultural DNA since I was a child growing up in post-war London. In the midst of that dark,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/jewish-history-has-been-in-my-cultural-dna-since-i-was-a-child/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [Whenever societies do well, they believe that there is something in their cultural DNA that made it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fareed-zakaria/whenever-societies-do-well-they-believe-that-there-is-something-in/) [Fareed Zakaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fareed-zakaria/) > [Well's them who are under crosses, and Christ says to them, "Half Mine."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-rutherford/well-s-them-who-are-under-crosses-and-christ-says-to-them-half-mine/) [Samuel Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-rutherford/) > [The Puritans' sense of priorities in life was one of their greatest strengths. Putting God first and valuing everything else in relation to God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leland-ryken/the-puritans-sense-of-priorities-in-life-was-one-of-their-greatest/) [Leland Ryken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leland-ryken/) > [A cold and searching wind drives away all contagion, and nothing can withstand it but what has a virtue in it, and accordingly, whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-cold-and-searching-wind-drives-away-all-contagion-and-nothing-can/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [No doctrine is more excellent, or necessary to be preached and studied, than Jesus Christ, and him crucified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flavel/no-doctrine-is-more-excellent-or-necessary-to-be-preached-and-studied/) [John Flavel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flavel/) > [We are … the un-proud non-possessors of objects whose chief substance is that of the transient symbol. Our Puritan fear of the love of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/we-are-the-un-proud-non-possessors-of-objects-whose-chief-substance/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [“A puritan may go to his brown-bread crust with as gross an appetite as ever an alderman to his turtle. Not that food which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-puritan-may-go-to-his-brown-bread-crust-with-as-gross-an-appetite/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The Puritan's idea of hell is a place where everybody has to mind his own business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-puritan-s-idea-of-hell-is-a-place-where-everybody-has-to-mind-his/) [Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/) > [It's impossible for a creative artist to be either a Puritan or a Fascist, because both are a negation of the creative urge. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-o-flaherty/it-s-impossible-for-a-creative-artist-to-be-either-a-puritan-or-a/) [Liam O'Flaherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-o-flaherty/) > [We think the Puritans always dressed in black and white, which they didn't. They loved very bright colors. And there were other differences in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/we-think-the-puritans-always-dressed-in-black-and-white-which-they/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [The Puritans came to America to worship in their way and to force everybody else to do the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-levenson/the-puritans-came-to-america-to-worship-in-their-way-and-to-force/) [Sam Levenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-levenson/) > [The Puritan sours his pleasures by disguising them as duties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-puritan-sours-his-pleasures-by-disguising-them-as-duties/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [It is the night-black Massachusetts legendry which packs the really macabre "kick". Here is material for a really profound study in group-neuroticism; for certainly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/it-is-the-night-black-massachusetts-legendry-which-packs-the-really/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Anti-Catholicism has always been the pornography of the Puritan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hofstadter/anti-catholicism-has-always-been-the-pornography-of-the-puritan/) [Richard Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hofstadter/) ## More by Nancy Gibbs > [Back in the really olden days, dinner was seldom a ceremonial event for U.S. families. Only the very wealthy had a separate dining room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/back-in-the-really-olden-days-dinner-was-seldom-a-ceremonial-event/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [The millennials were raised in a cocoon, their anxious parents afraid to let them go out in the park to play. So should we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/the-millennials-were-raised-in-a-cocoon-their-anxious-parents-afraid/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [Be bored and see where it takes you, because the imagination's dusty wilderness is worth crossing if you want to sculpt your soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/be-bored-and-see-where-it-takes-you-because-the-imagination-s-dusty/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [As you probably know, I've written a lot about the presidency, so it's obviously exciting when you get to interview a president and write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/as-you-probably-know-i-ve-written-a-lot-about-the-presidency-so-it-s/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [ \[Former chief executives\] come away thinking that America needs a strong, functioning presidency to succeed, and they become very protective of that office. Democrats… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/former-chief-executives-come-away-thinking-that-america-needs-a/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [It's hard to think of any tool, any instrument, any object in history with which so many developed so close a relationship so quickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/it-s-hard-to-think-of-any-tool-any-instrument-any-object-in-history/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [“Lydon Johnson realized he really was President, that his identity had changed by President Kennedy's shocking death, when aides who had been like family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/lydon-johnson-realized-he-really-was-president-that-his-identity-had/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [A typical smart phone has more computing power than Apollo 11 when it landed a man on the moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/a-typical-smart-phone-has-more-computing-power-than-apollo-11-when-it/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [George W. Bush, though a president's son, is cast as Reagan's heir even more than his father's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/george-w-bush-though-a-president-s-son-is-cast-as-reagan-s-heir-even/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [For God to be kept out of the classroom or out of America's public debate by nervous school administrators or overcautious politicians serves no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/for-god-to-be-kept-out-of-the-classroom-or-out-of-america-s-public/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [Pain is the most private experience, but its causes, whether natural or man-made, demand public accounting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/pain-is-the-most-private-experience-but-its-causes-whether-natural-or/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [On the court, Jason Collins is not a huge basketball star, but he has already claimed his place in civil rights history as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/on-the-court-jason-collins-is-not-a-huge-basketball-star-but-he-has/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [When you are a media celebrity, every word you speak is dissected, as are those you choose not to speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/when-you-are-a-media-celebrity-every-word-you-speak-is-dissected-as/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [If you want to humble an empire it makes sense to maim its cathedrals. They are symbols of its faith, and when they crumple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/if-you-want-to-humble-an-empire-it-makes-sense-to-maim-its-cathedrals/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [“The wand is mighter then the sword.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/the-wand-is-mighter-then-the-sword/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) [Explore all 179 Nancy Gibbs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. 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W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) Browse all 7,717 American quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What cultural DNA remains from those first Puritan forays onto American soil may be our love of a fresh start.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nancy Gibbs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/what-cultural-dna-remains-from-those-first-puritan-forays-onto/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/what-cultural-dna-remains-from-those-first-puritan-forays-onto/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/nancy-gibbs-2206_american_what-cultural-dna-remains-from-those-fir_1615231.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/nancy-gibbs-2206_american_what-cultural-dna-remains-from-those-fir_1615231.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/nancy-gibbs-2206_american_what-cultural-dna-remains-from-those-fir_1615231.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What cultural DNA remains from those first Puritan forays onto American soil may be our love of a fresh start.” — Nancy Gibbs", "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": "Nancy Gibbs", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What cultural DNA remains from those...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/what-cultural-dna-remains-from-those-first-puritan-forays-onto/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/what-cultural-dna-remains-from-those-first-puritan-forays-onto/#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 } } ] } ```