--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's something about the American…" description: "\"There's something about the American people: They have such an innate sense of fairness that the red light goes on and the bells go off the second you ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/roger-ailes-2123_american-people_there-s-something-about-the-american-peo_2056103.jpg" --- # There's something about the American people: They have… ![“There's something about the American people: They have such an innate sense of fairness that the red light goes on and the bells go off the second you approach that line. Any kind of personal attack is verboten. You shouldn't do it; it's not worth it.” quote by Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/roger-ailes-2123_american-people_there-s-something-about-the-american-peo_2056103.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/roger-ailes-2123_american-people_there-s-something-about-the-american-peo_2056103.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/roger-ailes-2123_american-people_there-s-something-about-the-american-peo_2056103.jpg) > “There's something about the American people: They have such an innate sense of fairness that the red light goes on and the bells go off the second you approach that line. Any kind of personal attack is verboten. You shouldn't do it; it's not worth it.” [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. American culture values fairness, prompting immediate reactions to perceived injustices, while personal attacks are socially discouraged. **In simple terms:** Fairness triggers quick responses; attacks are taboo. Key Takeaway Respect fairness, avoid personal attacks. Themes fairness social norms politics Mood critical thoughtful Type analysis commentary When to use this quote - public debates - online discussions - media commentary - political rallies Key Concepts social psychology cultural values Questions to Reflect On - What defines fairness in your view? - How do you respond when fairness feels threatened? A Different Perspective Fairness can be weaponized, leading to polarization. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Attack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attack/) [Bells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bells/) [Fairness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairness/) [Goes on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goes-on/) [Innate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innate/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Not worth it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-worth-it/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Personal Attack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-attack-280729/) [Personal attacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-attacks/) [Red](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red/) [Red light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red-light/) [Red lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red-lights/) [Sense Fairness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-fairness-1772692/) [Worth it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-it/) ## Related quotes > [You have to realize, when you're a comedian, that you have to have a thick skin. And trust me, being onstage in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/you-have-to-realize-when-you-re-a-comedian-that-you-have-to-have-a/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [ The reality is \[Donald\] Trump is just better at this game than they are. Blaming the media may be a convenient foil, but the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/the-reality-is-donald-trump-is-just-better-at-this-game-than-they-are/) [Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/) > [I can't even imagine what people did at red lights before cellphones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-t-even-imagine-what-people-did-at-red-lights-before-cellphones/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's like being called up in the draft. The peculiar joy of hemorrhaging without bleeding starts when the evil little red light glows on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-gould/it-s-like-being-called-up-in-the-draft-the-peculiar-joy-of/) [Jack Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-gould/) > [I don't want to move to a city where the only cultural advantage is being able to make a right turn on a red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-don-t-want-to-move-to-a-city-where-the-only-cultural-advantage-is/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [He can run anytime he wants. I'm giving him the red light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/he-can-run-anytime-he-wants-i-m-giving-him-the-red-light/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [“What the hell are you stopping for, asshole?” Freemont hollered at the car in front of them. “People usually stop for red lights. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerrelyn-sparks/what-the-hell-are-you-stopping-for-asshole-freemont-hollered-at-the/) [Kerrelyn Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerrelyn-sparks/) > [When the Internet arrived in Ireland... it was like having Amsterdam's Red Light District in your own living room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-dunne/when-the-internet-arrived-in-ireland-it-was-like-having-amsterdam-s/) [Tom Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-dunne/) > [In the United States, throughout all twenty-four hours of every day of the year - year after year - we have an average of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/in-the-united-states-throughout-all-twenty-four-hours-of-every-day-of/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [That awkward eye contact you have with the people in cars next to you at red lights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-awkward-eye-contact-you-have-with-the-people-in-cars-next-to-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was in Las Vegas when the Nogueira brothers first touched down in America. There was a bus, this is a true story. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/i-was-in-las-vegas-when-the-nogueira-brothers-first-touched-down-in/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [I am a guy who likes those who drive through red lights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zlatan-ibrahimovic/i-am-a-guy-who-likes-those-who-drive-through-red-lights/) [Zlatan Ibrahimovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zlatan-ibrahimovic/) > [I keep my scrapbooks in the car. When I come to a stoplight, I start looking through my past. Sometimes I wish the red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-shandling/i-keep-my-scrapbooks-in-the-car-when-i-come-to-a-stoplight-i-start/) [Garry Shandling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-shandling/) > [Goaltending is a suffering position. Your equipment protects you from injury, but not from pain, every time you go out there. And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-constantine/goaltending-is-a-suffering-position-your-equipment-protects-you-from/) [Kevin Constantine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-constantine/) > [We're all trying to get to the same island — whether you swim, fly, surf, or skydive, it doesn't matter. What matters is when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/we-re-all-trying-to-get-to-the-same-island-whether-you-swim-fly-surf-2/) [Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/) ## More by Roger Ailes > [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/) > ['Vanity Fair' is a left-wing rag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/vanity-fair-is-a-left-wing-rag/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [I have a good eye for talent, and my talent performs the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/i-have-a-good-eye-for-talent-and-my-talent-performs-the-best/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [I've been an underdog all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/i-ve-been-an-underdog-all-my-life/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [Obama's the one who never worked a day in his life. He never earned a penny that wasn't public money. How many fund-raisers does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/obama-s-the-one-who-never-worked-a-day-in-his-life-he-never-earned-a/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [If you've got a big star like O'Reilly, it does overshadow what the hard-news guys do during the day. That's the nature of television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/if-you-ve-got-a-big-star-like-o-reilly-it-does-overshadow-what-the/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [My first qualification is I didn't go to Columbia Journalism School.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/my-first-qualification-is-i-didn-t-go-to-columbia-journalism-school/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [Just because somebody else likes a candidate doesn't necessarily mean everybody else will like him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/just-because-somebody-else-likes-a-candidate-doesn-t-necessarily-mean/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [We're not programming to conservatives. We're just not eliminating their point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/we-re-not-programming-to-conservatives-we-re-just-not-eliminating/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [ They \[NPR\] are, of course, Nazis. They have a kind of Nazi attitude. They are the left wing of Nazism. These guys don't want… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/they-npr-are-of-course-nazis-they-have-a-kind-of-nazi-attitude-they/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [You just don't go out when you're over 55 years of age, have a colossal failure, and expect to find work in your field again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/you-just-don-t-go-out-when-you-re-over-55-years-of-age-have-a/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [CNBC was completely in the dumper when I went there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/cnbc-was-completely-in-the-dumper-when-i-went-there/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [Almost everything I do is related to my ability to hire good people. I don't take much of the credit myself. I think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/almost-everything-i-do-is-related-to-my-ability-to-hire-good-people-i/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [Anybody's position on an issue, anything they've said about an issue, and any way they've voted on an issue is fair game. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/anybody-s-position-on-an-issue-anything-they-ve-said-about-an-issue/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [It is a tremendous sacrifice to run for political office in America today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/it-is-a-tremendous-sacrifice-to-run-for-political-office-in-america/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) [Explore all 184 Roger Ailes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) ## More American people quotes > [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/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-as-much-as-government-can-do-and-must-do-it-is-ultimately-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Given a choice between two bald political candidates, the American people will vote for the less bald of the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-gold/given-a-choice-between-two-bald-political-candidates-the-american/) [Victor Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-gold/) > [When the American people saw the LA riots and crowds of Blacks cheering O.J. Simpson (who was acquitted by the almost all Black jury),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duke/when-the-american-people-saw-the-la-riots-and-crowds-of-blacks/) [David Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duke/) > [In any event, it is one thing to assert, then or now, that the Iraq war was ill-advised. It is quite another to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-silberman/in-any-event-it-is-one-thing-to-assert-then-or-now-that-the-iraq-war/) [Laurence Silberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-silberman/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [I don't know a politician who enjoys fundraising. The system is such that the American people have lost faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-don-t-know-a-politician-who-enjoys-fundraising-the-system-is-such/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Probably the greatest single obstacle to the progress and happiness of the American people lies in the willingness of so many men to invest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/probably-the-greatest-single-obstacle-to-the-progress-and-happiness/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [If a financial institution has business operations in the United States, hires people in the United States, if they are clogged with illiquid assets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-paulson/if-a-financial-institution-has-business-operations-in-the-united/) [Henry Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-paulson/) > [The American people reject the idea of giving Washington a blank check to increase the debt limit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-roby/the-american-people-reject-the-idea-of-giving-washington-a-blank/) [Martha Roby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-roby/) > [The coronavirus has yet again exposed the strong contrast between President Trump - who is working ardently for the American people - and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/the-coronavirus-has-yet-again-exposed-the-strong-contrast-between/) [Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/) > [The American people demand results, not rhetoric, especially when it comes to national security issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-hayworth/the-american-people-demand-results-not-rhetoric-especially-when-it/) [J. D. Hayworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-hayworth/) > [Hillary Clinton truly is sincere, but she has to connect more with the American people in terms of what she believes in and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/hillary-clinton-truly-is-sincere-but-she-has-to-connect-more-with-the/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [The American people are incredibly generous and even playful when you open yourself up and feed the media beast until it goes away satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/the-american-people-are-incredibly-generous-and-even-playful-when-you/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) [Browse all 2,233 American people quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's something about the American people: They have such an innate sense of fairness that the red light goes on and the bells go off the second you approach that line. Any kind of personal attack is verboten. You shouldn't do it; it's not worth it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roger Ailes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/there-s-something-about-the-american-people-they-have-such-an-innate/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American people" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/there-s-something-about-the-american-people-they-have-such-an-innate/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/roger-ailes-2123_american-people_there-s-something-about-the-american-peo_2056103.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/roger-ailes-2123_american-people_there-s-something-about-the-american-peo_2056103.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/roger-ailes-2123_american-people_there-s-something-about-the-american-peo_2056103.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There's something about the American people: They have such an innate sense of fairness that the red light…” — Roger Ailes", "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": "Roger Ailes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There's something about the American people:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/there-s-something-about-the-american-people-they-have-such-an-innate/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/there-s-something-about-the-american-people-they-have-such-an-innate/#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 } } ] } ```