Currents Quote by Paul Kengor
![“It is quite sad, to me, that that ideal, that vision and understanding [of American founding ], doesn't seem to be a part of the current political season.” quote by Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a05/paul-kengor-14302_currents_it-is-quite-sad-to-me-that-that-ideal-th_399953.jpg)
“It is quite sad, to me, that that ideal, that vision and understanding [of American founding ], doesn't seem to be a part of the current political season.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: American Ideals, 2022
The speaker laments that foundational American ideals are absent from current politics, indicating a loss of vision.
In simple terms: Founding ideals missing today.
Key Takeaway
Revive core principles in public discourse.
Themes
politics
ideals
history
disillusionment
Mood
concerned
hopeful
Type
political
reflective
When to use this quote
- election cycles
- policy debates
- education curricula
Key Concepts
civic engagement
national identity
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we reconcile founding ideals with modern challenges?
- What concrete steps restore vision?
A Different Perspective
Idealism may overlook practical constraints.
![“One of the sad things about this political season is that it allows [requires] us to get behind our big "Liberal" or "Conservative" banner and forget, for a time, that the big problems in our country have been around a long time and have been batted back and forth, caused and exacerbated, by both…” quote by George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b10/george-saunders-317_back-and-forth_one-of-the-sad-things-about-this-politic_939252.jpg)
![“Yet in the 1950s and '60s, a wide range of historians quickly and uncritically...[sought to] rule out of serious discussion of the American founding any suggestion that important, even defining, conflicts prevailed between rich, well-connected founders--those men of a variety of opinions of how…” quote by William Hogeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bea/william-hogeland-103166_american-revolution_yet-in-the-1950s-and-60s-a-wide-range-of_2104908.jpg)
![“The presidents varied in the degree to which they cited the founders. Some, like JFK, LBJ, [Richard] Nixon, and [Bill] Clinton, cited them somewhat frequently, in the range of 100 to 200 times, though, regrettably, not in a thematic or notably profound or even interesting way. Others, like Gerald…” quote by Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9e3/paul-kengor-14302_bills_the-presidents-varied-in-the-degree-to-w_424735.jpg)
![“I was a child or didn't live through those presidents prior to [Ronald] Reagan, and thus didn't realize how little attention they had paid to the founders.” quote by Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/38b/paul-kengor-14302_attention_i-was-a-child-or-didn-t-live-through-tho_602258.jpg)
![“If our presidents, or potential presidents, don't know this or don't articulate [an America ideal], that's a blown opportunity. The president can teach as well as lead.” quote by Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2c6/paul-kengor-14302_america_if-our-presidents-or-potential-president_708330.jpg)
![“Which founders have these presidents cited - and why? What did, say, President [Ronald] Reagan's view of George Washington, or President [Bill] Clinton's view of Thomas Jefferson, tell us about their view of America and where they intended to lead the country?In many cases, it told us a lot about…” quote by Paul Kengor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/35c/paul-kengor-14302_america_which-founders-have-these-presidents-cit_968419.jpg)
![“The young man [Turgot] destined for an ecclesiastical career was placed within walls carefully designed to keep out all currents of new thought; his studies, his reading, his professors, his associates, all were combined to keep from him any results of observation or reflection save those…” quote by Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5d4/andrew-dickson-white-24254_associates_the-young-man-turgot-destined-for-an-ecc_3146.jpg)
