--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But as part of that greatest generation…" description: "\"“But as part of that greatest generation, I have to acknowledge how much more we had going for us that contributed to our Pearl Harbor response as comp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/norman-lear-7597_greatest-generation_but-as-part-of-that-greatest-generation_2956126.jpg" --- # But as part of that greatest generation, I have to… ![“But as part of that greatest generation, I have to acknowledge how much more we had going for us that contributed to our Pearl Harbor response as compared to, say, this generation’s burst of patriotic fervor at 9/11, which petered out when a war that couldn’t be adequately explained—and has been…” quote by Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/norman-lear-7597_greatest-generation_but-as-part-of-that-greatest-generation_2956126.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/norman-lear-7597_greatest-generation_but-as-part-of-that-greatest-generation_2956126.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/norman-lear-7597_greatest-generation_but-as-part-of-that-greatest-generation_2956126.jpg) > ““But as part of that greatest generation, I have to acknowledge how much more we had going for us that contributed to our Pearl Harbor response as compared to, say, this generation’s burst of patriotic fervor at 9/11, which petered out when a war that couldn’t be adequately explained—and has been overwhelmingly regretted—suddenly enveloped us.”” [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker compares past and present patriotic responses, noting earlier generations had clearer purpose and sustained commitment, unlike fleeting modern fervor. **In simple terms:** Older generations had stronger, lasting patriotism. Key Takeaway Learn from past unity to foster lasting civic engagement. Themes history patriotism generational civic responsibility social cohesion Mood reflective critical Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - educational curricula - public policy debates - community organizing Key Concepts Historical analysis collective memory Questions to Reflect On - What drives lasting civic commitment? - How can societies sustain purposeful patriotism? A Different Perspective Modern patriotism can be superficial and short‑lived. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Greatest generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-generation/) [Pearl harbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pearl-harbor/) ## Related quotes > [I think that to acknowledge a new generation is to acknowledge some degree of obsolescence in yourself, and that is very hard to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-think-that-to-acknowledge-a-new-generation-is-to-acknowledge-some/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Into the soul of every student I would have instilled the patriotic fervor of Patrick Henry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/into-the-soul-of-every-student-i-would-have-instilled-the-patriotic/) [David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/) > [If patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel, it is not merely because evil deeds may be performed in the name of patriotism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-patriotism-is-the-last-refuge-of-a-scoundrel-it-is-not-merely/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/beware-the-leader-who-bangs-the-drums-of-war-in-order-to-whip-the/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The powers in charge keep us in a perpetual state of fear keep us in a continuous stampede of patriotic fervor with the cry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/the-powers-in-charge-keep-us-in-a-perpetual-state-of-fear-keep-us-in/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [Our government has kept us in a perpetual state of fear - kept us in a continuous stampede of patriotic fervor - with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/our-government-has-kept-us-in-a-perpetual-state-of-fear-kept-us-in-a/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [“Congress, responding with patriotic fervor, approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, as it was called, with only desultory debate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-patterson/congress-responding-with-patriotic-fervor-approved-the-gulf-of-tonkin/) [James T. Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-patterson/) > [“The patriotic fervor of a population is not always in direct proportion to its well-being and the fair dealing of its government. Nationalist pride,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-patriotic-fervor-of-a-population-is-not-always-in-direct/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Our patriotic fervor was the result of the old and widespread belief in the idea of American exceptionalism, the idea that America was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-noonan/our-patriotic-fervor-was-the-result-of-the-old-and-widespread-belief/) [Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/) > [The men and women of the Greatest Generation answered the call to serve; whether at home or abroad, they defended the freedoms and liberties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-tuberville/the-men-and-women-of-the-greatest-generation-answered-the-call-to/) [Tommy Tuberville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-tuberville/) > [There's one big difference between me and the others - I won't take every last dime of the surplus and spend it on tax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/there-s-one-big-difference-between-me-and-the-others-i-won-t-take/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [And now that the Greatest Generation is getting older, I think it is the responsibility of all Americans to make sure we do our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/and-now-that-the-greatest-generation-is-getting-older-i-think-it-is/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [“The Greatest Generation gets too much credit. Those World War II guys, if they had all the shit we have today, they'd be assholes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k-2/the-greatest-generation-gets-too-much-credit-those-world-war-ii-guys/) [Louis C.K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k-2/) > [I often think that the Greatest Generation gave birth to the Crappiest Generation, the stinky hippies with their slacktivism and demand for government welfare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-loesch/i-often-think-that-the-greatest-generation-gave-birth-to-the/) [Dana Loesch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-loesch/) > [Growing up in northern Kentucky, honesty, integrity and character were revered traits, and - with my family - I looked to the greatest generation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-mcgrath/growing-up-in-northern-kentucky-honesty-integrity-and-character-were/) [Amy McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-mcgrath/) ## More by Norman Lear > [When we went on the air, I didn't want to be interrupted for an act-one curtain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/when-we-went-on-the-air-i-didn-t-want-to-be-interrupted-for-an-act/) [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) > [In this nation, leadership is dollars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/in-this-nation-leadership-is-dollars/) [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) > [The American people may not be the best-educated, but they're very wise at heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/the-american-people-may-not-be-the-best-educated-but-they-re-very/) [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) > [Maybe they continued to agree with Archie Bunker - as I said earlier, you can't change people's minds, but you can get them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/maybe-they-continued-to-agree-with-archie-bunker-as-i-said-earlier/) [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) > [I think if you're feeling great about where you are, everything that led up to it had to be terrific.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/i-think-if-you-re-feeling-great-about-where-you-are-everything-that/) [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) > [Life goes on pretty much the same way. I've been working on a couple of films on the side. You may see some more.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/life-goes-on-pretty-much-the-same-way-i-ve-been-working-on-a-couple/) [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) > [If there is a reason to believe in God, it would be the Havana Leaf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/if-there-is-a-reason-to-believe-in-god-it-would-be-the-havana-leaf/) [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) > [In my 90-plus years, I have lived a multitude of lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/in-my-90-plus-years-i-have-lived-a-multitude-of-lives/) [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) > [America is a country of excess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/america-is-a-country-of-excess/) [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) > [We just may be the most well-informed, yet least self-aware, people in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/we-just-may-be-the-most-well-informed-yet-least-self-aware-people-in/) [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) > [The people responsible for the dollars that will buy the sex and violence so many deplore, don't even know what's going - well, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/the-people-responsible-for-the-dollars-that-will-buy-the-sex-and/) [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) > [... For all our alarm, it is clear that the religious right is responding to a real hunger in our society... a deep-seated yearning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/for-all-our-alarm-it-is-clear-that-the-religious-right-is-responding/) [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) > [The movies had a slogan at the time, to distinguish themselves from TV, that said 'movies are better than ever.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/the-movies-had-a-slogan-at-the-time-to-distinguish-themselves-from-tv/) [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) > [I think Americans have become a - much more a nation of consumers than citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/i-think-americans-have-become-a-much-more-a-nation-of-consumers-than/) [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) > [My dad called me meat head dead from the neck up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/my-dad-called-me-meat-head-dead-from-the-neck-up/) [Norman Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) [Explore all 89 Norman Lear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/) ## More Greatest generation quotes > [Growing up in northern Kentucky, honesty, integrity and character were revered traits, and - with my family - I looked to the greatest generation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-mcgrath/growing-up-in-northern-kentucky-honesty-integrity-and-character-were/) [Amy McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-mcgrath/) > [I often think that the Greatest Generation gave birth to the Crappiest Generation, the stinky hippies with their slacktivism and demand for government welfare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-loesch/i-often-think-that-the-greatest-generation-gave-birth-to-the/) [Dana Loesch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-loesch/) > [“The Greatest Generation gets too much credit. Those World War II guys, if they had all the shit we have today, they'd be assholes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k-2/the-greatest-generation-gets-too-much-credit-those-world-war-ii-guys/) [Louis C.K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k-2/) > [And now that the Greatest Generation is getting older, I think it is the responsibility of all Americans to make sure we do our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/and-now-that-the-greatest-generation-is-getting-older-i-think-it-is/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [There's one big difference between me and the others - I won't take every last dime of the surplus and spend it on tax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/there-s-one-big-difference-between-me-and-the-others-i-won-t-take/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [The men and women of the Greatest Generation answered the call to serve; whether at home or abroad, they defended the freedoms and liberties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-tuberville/the-men-and-women-of-the-greatest-generation-answered-the-call-to/) [Tommy Tuberville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-tuberville/) > [If someone tries to tell you you are the greatest generation in the history of America, don't believe them. You aren't. You have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/if-someone-tries-to-tell-you-you-are-the-greatest-generation-in-the/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [“Through enjoyment we endure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-ditlow/through-enjoyment-we-endure/) Florence Ditlow > [I want to be the greatest investigative reporter of my generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/i-want-to-be-the-greatest-investigative-reporter-of-my-generation/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [“Kaitlin said, "I'm so sick of that 'Greatest Generation' crap. We finally drove a silver nail through the heart of Generation X, only to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/kaitlin-said-i-m-so-sick-of-that-greatest-generation-crap-we-finally/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“The Greatest Generation? They tell me I am a member of the greatest generation. That's because I saw combat duty as a bombardier in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/the-greatest-generation-they-tell-me-i-am-a-member-of-the-greatest/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“It was not, Zelda wrote, prosperity or the softness of life, or any instability that marred the war generation; it was a great emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-milford/it-was-not-zelda-wrote-prosperity-or-the-softness-of-life-or-any/) [Nancy Milford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-milford/) > [Think of it as your ticket to change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/think-of-it-as-your-ticket-to-change-the-world/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [For Americans of the Greatest Generation that fought World War II and of the Silent Generation that came of age in the 1950s, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/for-americans-of-the-greatest-generation-that-fought-world-war-ii-and/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [May we never forget the service and sacrifice of our 'Greatest Generation.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/may-we-never-forget-the-service-and-sacrifice-of-our-greatest/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) [Browse all 47 Greatest generation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-generation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But as part of that greatest generation, I have to acknowledge how much more we had going for us that contributed to our Pearl Harbor response as compared to, say, this generation’s burst of patriotic fervor at 9/11, which petered out when a war that couldn’t be adequately explained—and has been overwhelmingly regretted—suddenly enveloped us.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Norman Lear" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/but-as-part-of-that-greatest-generation-i-have-to-acknowledge-how/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Greatest generation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/but-as-part-of-that-greatest-generation-i-have-to-acknowledge-how/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/norman-lear-7597_greatest-generation_but-as-part-of-that-greatest-generation_2956126.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/norman-lear-7597_greatest-generation_but-as-part-of-that-greatest-generation_2956126.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/norman-lear-7597_greatest-generation_but-as-part-of-that-greatest-generation_2956126.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But as part of that greatest generation, I have to acknowledge how much more we had going for us that…” — Norman Lear", "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": "Norman Lear", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lear/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But as part of that greatest...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/but-as-part-of-that-greatest-generation-i-have-to-acknowledge-how/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lear/but-as-part-of-that-greatest-generation-i-have-to-acknowledge-how/#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 } } ] } ```