--- 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 people.”\" — Phil Gramm" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/phil-gramm-14932_extraordinary_the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-tha_75960.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 people.” quote by Phil Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/phil-gramm-14932_extraordinary_the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-tha_75960.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/phil-gramm-14932_extraordinary_the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-tha_75960.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/phil-gramm-14932_extraordinary_the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-tha_75960.png) > ““The genius of the American system is that we have created extraordinary results from plain old 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 US system leverages ordinary citizens to achieve remarkable outcomes, highlighting collective effort over elite talent. **In simple terms:** Ordinary people drive extraordinary results. Key Takeaway Collective contribution yields greatness. Themes democracy meritocracy collective action social mobility American exceptionalism Mood proud optimistic inspirational Type political philosophical When to use this quote - public policy design - community organizing - grassroots campaigns - team building - national projects Key Concepts social structure human potential economic productivity Practical Applications - policy analysis - leadership training Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions better harness everyday talent? - What safeguards ensure meritocracy remains fair? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Extraordinary Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary-results/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Old people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-people/) ## Related quotes > [The genius of the American system is that we have created extraordinary results from plain old ordinary people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-that-we-have-created-2/) [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/) > [“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 > [“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 > [A product is usually created to improve people's lives; otherwise, why buy it? I'm no genius, but I am an American, and gosh-darnit, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weber/a-product-is-usually-created-to-improve-people-s-lives-otherwise-why/) [Steven Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weber/) > [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/) > [“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/) > [It's very impossible to live by yesterday's standards and expect extraordinary results today. Live life with passion!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-very-impossible-to-live-by-yesterday-s-standards-and-expect/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-not-necessary-to-do-extraordinary-things-to-get-extraordinary/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [If you want extraordinary results you must put in extraordinary effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/if-you-want-extraordinary-results-you-must-put-in-extraordinary-effort/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [In a good meeting there is a momentum that comes from the spontaneous exchange of fresh ideas and produces extraordinary results. That momentum depends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-geneen/in-a-good-meeting-there-is-a-momentum-that-comes-from-the-spontaneous/) [Harold Geneen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-geneen/) > [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/) > [There is a spark of idealism within every individual which can be fanned into flame and bring forth extraordinary results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-d-brandeis/there-is-a-spark-of-idealism-within-every-individual-which-can-be/) [Louis D. Brandeis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-d-brandeis/) > [I've always believed that the most extraordinary results occur only when one feels unbound by any notion of constraint or limitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-mcgrath/i-ve-always-believed-that-the-most-extraordinary-results-occur-only/) [Pat McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-mcgrath/) ## More by 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. 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Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Newspapers have an extraordinary amount of local content, including real estate listings and restaurant reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/newspapers-have-an-extraordinary-amount-of-local-content-including/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [The contributions being made by Latinos are extraordinary, and we need to talk about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/the-contributions-being-made-by-latinos-are-extraordinary-and-we-need/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [Jeb Bush was supposed to be the establishment candidate, but he didn't catch on. And the extraordinary thing about this Republican primary is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/jeb-bush-was-supposed-to-be-the-establishment-candidate-but-he-didn-t/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [We are very fortunate to be recognized here in such an extraordinary manner for work that we enjoy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/we-are-very-fortunate-to-be-recognized-here-in-such-an-extraordinary/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) > [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) Chaz Brenchley > [In sports teams, apart from talk of sporting prowess and the imparting of inspirational thought, an extraordinary amount of time is spent discussing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-bhogle/in-sports-teams-apart-from-talk-of-sporting-prowess-and-the-imparting/) [Harsha Bhogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-bhogle/) > [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/) > [If you like I'll be furious flesh elemental, or- changing to tones that the sunset arouses- if you like- I'll be extraordinary gentle, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-mayakovsky/if-you-like-i-ll-be-furious-flesh-elemental-or-changing-to-tones-that/) [Vladimir Mayakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-mayakovsky/) > [It isn't necessary to seek out adventure. Opening to what is around you will produce the most extraordinary experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-b-lewis/it-isn-t-necessary-to-seek-out-adventure-opening-to-what-is-around/) Edward B. Lewis > [Many people, including myself, thought of Jobs as an inventor, an Edison-like figure, but he wasn't. I did a documentary on James Brown recently;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gibney/many-people-including-myself-thought-of-jobs-as-an-inventor-an-edison/) [Alex Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gibney/) Browse all 2,906 Extraordinary quotes ```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 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/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Extraordinary" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-that-we-have-created/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/phil-gramm-14932_extraordinary_the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-tha_75960.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/phil-gramm-14932_extraordinary_the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-tha_75960.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/phil-gramm-14932_extraordinary_the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-tha_75960.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The genius of the American system is that we have created extraordinary results from plain old people.” — 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/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-gramm/the-genius-of-the-american-system-is-that-we-have-created/#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 } } ] } ```