---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we are negative by nature, we…"
description: "\"If we are negative by nature, we Americans are more human than most. The Founding Fathers loved going negative. Heck, the Declaration of Independence i..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/paul-begala-13540_ads_if-we-are-negative-by-nature-we-american_1599457.png"
---

#  If we are negative by nature, we Americans are more human…

![“If we are negative by nature, we Americans are more human than most. The Founding Fathers loved going negative. Heck, the Declaration of Independence is one long negative ad.” quote by Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/paul-begala-13540_ads_if-we-are-negative-by-nature-we-american_1599457.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/paul-begala-13540_ads_if-we-are-negative-by-nature-we-american_1599457.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/paul-begala-13540_ads_if-we-are-negative-by-nature-we-american_1599457.png)

> “If we are negative by nature, we Americans are more human than most. The Founding Fathers loved going negative. Heck, the Declaration of Independence is one long negative ad.”

[Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/)

## About This Quote

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

Human nature includes negativity, but Americans historically use criticism constructively, as seen in foundational documents.

**In simple terms:** Negativity can be a tool.

Key Takeaway

Use critique to improve.

Themes

criticism politics optimism

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- policy debates
- media analysis
- personal development

Key Concepts

founding principles negative framing

Questions to Reflect On

- How can criticism be balanced with positivity?
- When is negative framing effective?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on negativity can demoralize.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [Declaration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/declaration/) [Declaration of independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/declaration-of-independence/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Fathers Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fathers-love/) [Founding fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founding-fathers/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independence/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/)

## Related quotes

> [Let me tell you who we conservatives are: we love people. When we look out over the United States of America, when we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/let-me-tell-you-who-we-conservatives-are-we-love-people-when-we-look/)

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

> [“There are only two things, ‘positive’ and ‘negative’. If you remain negative, whom would nature help? We should not have ‘negative’ in our dictionary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/there-are-only-two-things-positive-and-negative-if-you-remain/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [First, meditation should be of a negative nature. Think away everything. Analyse everything that comes in the mind by the sheer action of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/first-meditation-should-be-of-a-negative-nature-think-away-everything/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [“About 80 to 90 percent of most people's thinking is not only repetitive and useless, but because of its dysfunctional and often negative nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/about-80-to-90-percent-of-most-people-s-thinking-is-not-only/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/one-day-the-south-will-know-that-when-these-disinherited-children-of-2/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Our example - and commitment - to freedom has changed the world. But along with the genius of our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/our-example-and-commitment-to-freedom-has-changed-the-world-but-along/)

[Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/)

> [In the United States, the Constitution is a health chart left by the Founding Fathers which shows whether or not the body politic is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/in-the-united-states-the-constitution-is-a-health-chart-left-by-the/)

[Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/)

> [One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters they were in reality standing up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/one-day-the-south-will-know-that-when-these-disinherited-children-of/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [“Without the pen of Paine , the sword of Washington would have been wielded in vain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/without-the-pen-of-paine-the-sword-of-washington-would-have-been/)

[John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/)

> [“It was because 'in 1776 our fathers retired the gods from politics.' The basic principle of the American Republic is the freedom of man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/it-was-because-in-1776-our-fathers-retired-the-gods-from-politics-the/)

[Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/)

> [When our founding fathers put their signatures on the Declaration of Independence, those 56 brave people, most of whom by the way were clergymen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/when-our-founding-fathers-put-their-signatures-on-the-declaration-of/)

[Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/)

> [People don't even recognize who the Founding Fathers of the United States were. They were exceptional human beings - when you signed the Declaration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-h-lipton/people-don-t-even-recognize-who-the-founding-fathers-of-the-united/)

[Bruce H. Lipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-h-lipton/)

> [Our founding fathers detested the idea of a democracy and labored long to prevent America becoming one. Once again - the word 'democracy' does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-boortz/our-founding-fathers-detested-the-idea-of-a-democracy-and-labored/)

[Neal Boortz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-boortz/)

> [The Declaration of Independence is the all-time masterpiece of ideological simplification. There in a single sentence of self-evident truth, the founding Fathers put into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-manion/the-declaration-of-independence-is-the-all-time-masterpiece-of/)

Clarence Manion

> [The Bible and its teachings helped form the basis for the Founding Fathers' abiding belief in the inalienable rights of the individual, rights which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-bible-and-its-teachings-helped-form-the-basis-for-the-founding/)

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

## More by Paul Begala

> [You can drive yourself crazy trying to peer into a person's soul--or you can do the sensible thing: ask not what inner motives drive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/you-can-drive-yourself-crazy-trying-to-peer-into-a-person-s-soul-or/)

[Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/)

> [Never interrupt your opponent when he's destroying himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/never-interrupt-your-opponent-when-he-s-destroying-himself/)

[Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/)

> [Republicans want to punish work and reward wealth; hence the high payroll tax and the low dividend tax. Said one Bush economic adviser, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/republicans-want-to-punish-work-and-reward-wealth-hence-the-high/)

[Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/)

> [I mean, for all of his faults and the troubles in his marriage, Bill Clinton is still married to a girl he met in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/i-mean-for-all-of-his-faults-and-the-troubles-in-his-marriage-bill/)

[Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/)

> [One of the problems we saw in the last presidential election in our party is that our nominee, while winning the election, which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/one-of-the-problems-we-saw-in-the-last-presidential-election-in-our/)

[Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/)

> [My view was that the campaign had been a sacred thing, that it had been a real compact, because I was there and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/my-view-was-that-the-campaign-had-been-a-sacred-thing-that-it-had/)

[Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/)

> [If my wife hears one more report that I'm joining Hillary's campaign I'm going to have to go in the Pundit Protection Program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/if-my-wife-hears-one-more-report-that-i-m-joining-hillary-s-campaign/)

[Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/)

> [This gets back to the fundamental lesson of political survival that Bill Clinton taught me, which is if you make it about the American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/this-gets-back-to-the-fundamental-lesson-of-political-survival-that/)

[Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/)

> [I used to go in at 5:30 or 6:00 so I could run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/i-used-to-go-in-at-5-30-or-6-00-so-i-could-run/)

[Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/)

> [I grew up in Tom DeLay's district.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/i-grew-up-in-tom-delay-s-district/)

[Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/)

> [Politics is show business for ugly people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/politics-is-show-business-for-ugly-people/)

[Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/)

> [There's the great line: the definition of a liberal is someone who's afraid to take their own side in a fight. And that's my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/there-s-the-great-line-the-definition-of-a-liberal-is-someone-who-s/)

[Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/)

> [Always attack, Never defend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/always-attack-never-defend/)

[Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/)

> [If it was about lying under oath - we actually know that Clinton certainly was deceptive, as most people would be about their sex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/if-it-was-about-lying-under-oath-we-actually-know-that-clinton/)

[Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/)

> [I think his deepest quality is empathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/i-think-his-deepest-quality-is-empathy/)

[Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/)

[Explore all 50 Paul Begala quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/)

## More Ads quotes

> [A home isn't just a roof over our heads. A home is a place where we feel loved and where we love others. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-home-isn-t-just-a-roof-over-our-heads-a-home-is-a-place-where-we/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Metallica's the only band i've ever been in. I'm not sure that when it ends in five, ten years, I'm going to put an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-ulrich/metallica-s-the-only-band-i-ve-ever-been-in-i-m-not-sure-that-when-it/)

[Lars Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-ulrich/)

> [As a Fundamentalist I had discovered while I was in college that it is possible to dismiss the entire Church as having gone off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-howard-3rd-duke-of-norfolk/as-a-fundamentalist-i-had-discovered-while-i-was-in-college-that-it/)

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk

> [ The most recent incarnation of \[Bob\] Dylan has been the traveling journeyman/ charlatan who sings roots music, snarls dark lyrics that make "All Along… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/the-most-recent-incarnation-of-bob-dylan-has-been-the-traveling/)

[Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/)

> [One performer whose band played my music better than I could myself was Art Farmer. He recorded 'Sing Me Softly of the Blues' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-bley/one-performer-whose-band-played-my-music-better-than-i-could-myself/)

[Carla Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-bley/)

> [What every human being should do is eat a vegetarian diet based on whole foods. Period. That's it. Animal protein is bad for you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/what-every-human-being-should-do-is-eat-a-vegetarian-diet-based-on/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [In market research I did at Microsoft Corp. in the early 1990s, I estimated that the 'Wall Street Journal' took in about 75 cents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/in-market-research-i-did-at-microsoft-corp-in-the-early-1990s-i/)

[Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/)

> [Donald Trump threatened to file a defamation suit against me for running a TV ad that consisted only entirely of his own words on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/donald-trump-threatened-to-file-a-defamation-suit-against-me-for/)

[Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/)

> [There is nothing personal about a personal ad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-smith/there-is-nothing-personal-about-a-personal-ad/)

[Wes Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-smith/)

> [Google has - at least at this point - maintained the line where it keeps organic results separate from the advertisements. But over time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/google-has-at-least-at-this-point-maintained-the-line-where-it-keeps/)

[Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/)

> [I am terrible at memorizing things. Hence, ad-libbing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-weatherly/i-am-terrible-at-memorizing-things-hence-ad-libbing/)

[Michael Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-weatherly/)

> [In a recent attack ad, the NRA claims that President Obama cares about his own children more than he cares about other children. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/in-a-recent-attack-ad-the-nra-claims-that-president-obama-cares-about/)

[Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/)

> [Nothing's going to keep me from making music. If I were in the want-ads in the back of the paper or playing to six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/nothing-s-going-to-keep-me-from-making-music-if-i-were-in-the-want/)

[Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/)

> [For me, being on set is no different than being at a dinner table or riding the subway next to someone; inevitably their life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-mahoney/for-me-being-on-set-is-no-different-than-being-at-a-dinner-table-or/)

[Victoria Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-mahoney/)

> [We assumed the customers were smart and that they'll buy what they like, not what the ads tell them to buy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-rosso/we-assumed-the-customers-were-smart-and-that-they-ll-buy-what-they/)

[Renzo Rosso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renzo-rosso/)

Browse all 856 Ads quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If we are negative by nature, we Americans are more human than most. The Founding Fathers loved going negative. Heck, the Declaration of Independence is one long negative ad.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paul Begala"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/if-we-are-negative-by-nature-we-americans-are-more-human-than-most/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ads"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/if-we-are-negative-by-nature-we-americans-are-more-human-than-most/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/paul-begala-13540_ads_if-we-are-negative-by-nature-we-american_1599457.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/paul-begala-13540_ads_if-we-are-negative-by-nature-we-american_1599457.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/paul-begala-13540_ads_if-we-are-negative-by-nature-we-american_1599457.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If we are negative by nature, we Americans are more human than most. The Founding Fathers loved going…” — Paul Begala",
                "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": "Paul Begala",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If we are negative by nature,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/if-we-are-negative-by-nature-we-americans-are-more-human-than-most/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/if-we-are-negative-by-nature-we-americans-are-more-human-than-most/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
