--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The genius of the American system is that…" description: "\"The genius of the American system is that we have created extraordinary results from plain old ordinary people.\" — Phil Gramm" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/phil-gramm-14932_america_the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-tha_969298.png" --- # The genius of the American system is that we have created… ![“The genius of the American system is that we have created extraordinary results from plain old ordinary people.” quote by Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/phil-gramm-14932_america_the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-tha_969298.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/phil-gramm-14932_america_the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-tha_969298.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/phil-gramm-14932_america_the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-tha_969298.png) > “The genius of the American system is that we have created extraordinary results from plain old ordinary people.” [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The American system achieves remarkable outcomes by leveraging ordinary individuals. **In simple terms:** Ordinary people can produce extraordinary results. Key Takeaway Empower everyday citizens to innovate. Themes politics system achievement people Mood optimistic critical Type political sociological When to use this quote - education reform - entrepreneurship - public policy - community projects Key Concepts Americanism democratic potential social mobility Questions to Reflect On - What structures enable ordinary people to excel? - How can we broaden access to opportunity? A Different Perspective Not all ordinary people have equal opportunities or resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Extraordinary Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary-results/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Ordinary people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary-people/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“The genius of the American system is that we have created extraordinary results from plain old people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-that-we-have-created/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [The genius of the American system is that through freedom we have created extraordinary results from plain old ordinary people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-that-through-freedom-we-have/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [Extraordinary potential exists in all of us. With the right environment, resources, skills and knowledge, 'ordinary' people can produce extraordinary results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-eikenberry/extraordinary-potential-exists-in-all-of-us-with-the-right/) [Kevin Eikenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-eikenberry/) > [Systems permit ordinary people to achieve extraordinary results predictably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/systems-permit-ordinary-people-to-achieve-extraordinary-results/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [Ordinary people who faithfully, diligently, and consistently do simple things that are right before God will bring forth extraordinary results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-bednar/ordinary-people-who-faithfully-diligently-and-consistently-do-simple/) [David A. Bednar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-bednar/) > [We Americans understand freedom; we have earned it, we have lived for it, and we have died for it. This nation and its people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-goldwater/we-americans-understand-freedom-we-have-earned-it-we-have-lived-for/) [Barry Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-goldwater/) > [“We where not put on this earth to be ordinary, we where created to be extraordinary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-owen/we-where-not-put-on-this-earth-to-be-ordinary-we-where-created-to-be/) Frederick Owen > [“We were not put on this earth to be ordinary, we were created to be extraordinary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-e-owen-jr/we-were-not-put-on-this-earth-to-be-ordinary-we-were-created-to-be/) Frederick E. Owen Jr > [My stories are not Christianized at all. I don't even have any Christians in my stories. What they are, are stories about ordinary people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/my-stories-are-not-christianized-at-all-i-don-t-even-have-any/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) > [“Ordinary people who walk with an extraordinary God of grace and power, really can make a difference in other as yet unreached lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-paterson/ordinary-people-who-walk-with-an-extraordinary-god-of-grace-and-power/) [Ross Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-paterson/) > [Thus, on this World Refugee Day, let us take time to recognize and draw inspiration from these ordinary people who have shown such extraordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/thus-on-this-world-refugee-day-let-us-take-time-to-recognize-and-draw/) [Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/) > [Most brilliance arises from ordinary people working together in extraordinary ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-von-oech/most-brilliance-arises-from-ordinary-people-working-together-in/) [Roger von Oech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-von-oech/) > [My books are about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary situations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-robards/my-books-are-about-ordinary-people-caught-up-in-extraordinary/) [Karen Robards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-robards/) > [“The genius of the American system is not freedom; the genius of the American system is checks and balances. Nobody gets all the power.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-not-freedom-the-genius-of-the/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [Persuading the people to vote against their own best interests has been the awesome genius of the American political elite from the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/persuading-the-people-to-vote-against-their-own-best-interests-has/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## More by Phil Gramm > [“The genius of the American system is that we have created extraordinary results from plain old people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-that-we-have-created/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [...we will not grant amnesty to illegal aliens in this Congress or, hopefully ever again. We did that once. Everybody said it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/we-will-not-grant-amnesty-to-illegal-aliens-in-this-congress-or/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [Have the most reliable friend you can have in American politics, and that is ready money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/have-the-most-reliable-friend-you-can-have-in-american-politics-and/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [I don't accept defeat as final. Only death is final - and even then I hope for a reprieve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/i-don-t-accept-defeat-as-final-only-death-is-final-and-even-then-i/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [I would be the last person who would say immigrants are not important to America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/i-would-be-the-last-person-who-would-say-immigrants-are-not-important/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/you-just-hear-this-constant-whining-complaining-about-a-loss-of/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [Every technological advance we've made in the 21st century and throughout the 20th has come from the United States of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/every-technological-advance-we-ve-made-in-the-21st-century-and/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [Granting amnesty to people who broke the law penalizes the millions of people who are waiting to come to America legally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/granting-amnesty-to-people-who-broke-the-law-penalizes-the-millions/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [We're going to keep building the party until we're hunting Democrats with dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/we-re-going-to-keep-building-the-party-until-we-re-hunting-democrats/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/you-ve-heard-of-mental-depression-this-is-a-mental-recession/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [The genius of the American system is that through freedom we have created extraordinary results from plain old ordinary people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-that-through-freedom-we-have/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [I have to tell you that the innovation and the technology and the entrepreneurship of the world still lies in the United States of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/i-have-to-tell-you-that-the-innovation-and-the-technology-and-the/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [I love Texas because Texas is future-oriented, because Texans think anything is possible. Texans think big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/i-love-texas-because-texas-is-future-oriented-because-texans-think/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [Half the world does not know the joy of wearing cotton underwear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/half-the-world-does-not-know-the-joy-of-wearing-cotton-underwear/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) > [I did not come to Washington to be loved, and I have not been disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/i-did-not-come-to-washington-to-be-loved-and-i-have-not-been/) [Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) [Explore all 44 Phil Gramm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/) ## 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": "The genius of the American system is that we have created extraordinary results from plain old ordinary people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Phil Gramm" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-that-we-have-created-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-that-we-have-created-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/phil-gramm-14932_america_the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-tha_969298.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/phil-gramm-14932_america_the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-tha_969298.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/phil-gramm-14932_america_the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-tha_969298.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The genius of the American system is that we have created extraordinary results from plain old ordinary…” — Phil Gramm", "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": "Phil Gramm", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-gramm/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The genius of the American system...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-that-we-have-created-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-that-we-have-created-2/#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 } } ] } ```