--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: America has this wonderful ability to…" description: "\"America has this wonderful ability to recover from its own mistakes, which is why it's so hugely superior to China.\" — Roger Scruton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ff/roger-scruton-971_ability_america-has-this-wonderful-ability-to-re_1620597.jpg" --- # America has this wonderful ability to recover from its own… ![“America has this wonderful ability to recover from its own mistakes, which is why it's so hugely superior to China.” quote by Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ff/roger-scruton-971_ability_america-has-this-wonderful-ability-to-re_1620597.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ff/roger-scruton-971_ability_america-has-this-wonderful-ability-to-re_1620597.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ff/roger-scruton-971_ability_america-has-this-wonderful-ability-to-re_1620597.jpg) > “America has this wonderful ability to recover from its own mistakes, which is why it's so hugely superior to China.” [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. America’s capacity to learn from errors makes it resilient and superior to nations that repeat mistakes. **In simple terms:** Learning from mistakes fuels national strength. Key Takeaway Embrace failure as a learning tool. Themes history resilience comparative politics Mood analytical critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - policy reform - education - innovation strategy - international relations Key Concepts institutional learning national identity Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms ensure we remember past failures? - How does humility affect national competitiveness? A Different Perspective Cultural denial of past errors can hinder growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) ## Related quotes > [When you're young, you've got plenty of time to recover from your mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/when-you-re-young-you-ve-got-plenty-of-time-to-recover-from-your/) [John C. Bogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-bogle/) > [There's no substitute for experiencing ups and downs - seeing how it's okay that things are overwhelming or broken sometimes and how companies recover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/there-s-no-substitute-for-experiencing-ups-and-downs-seeing-how-it-s/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [Cats appear to have a wonderful ability to weed out everything they don't need to know, while honing in on what is important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-hendricks/cats-appear-to-have-a-wonderful-ability-to-weed-out-everything-they/) [Christina Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-hendricks/) > [A talent is one who sees explicitly his capability and capacity to do the real wonders in others eyes, but often fails to muster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj-somany/a-talent-is-one-who-sees-explicitly-his-capability-and-capacity-to-do-2/) [Anuj Somany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj-somany/) > [“Just by virtue of their fantastically wonderful ability to approach life from the heart instead of the ego, women have a head start on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-james/just-by-virtue-of-their-fantastically-wonderful-ability-to-approach/) [Dennis James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-james/) > [Capablanca's phenomenal move-searching algorithm in those early years, when he possessed a wonderful ability for calculating variations very rapidly, made him invincible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-botvinnik/capablanca-s-phenomenal-move-searching-algorithm-in-those-early-years/) [Mikhail Botvinnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-botvinnik/) > [A talent is one who sees explicitly his capability and capacity to do the real wonders in others eyes, but often fails to muster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj-somany/a-talent-is-one-who-sees-explicitly-his-capability-and-capacity-to-do/) [Anuj Somany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj-somany/) > [I think that makes America wonderful, that we have different opinions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-earhardt/i-think-that-makes-america-wonderful-that-we-have-different-opinions/) [Ainsley Earhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-earhardt/) > [It was wonderful to find America, but it would have been more wonderful to miss it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-was-wonderful-to-find-america-but-it-would-have-been-more/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [It is not our mistakes that define who we are; it is how we recover from those mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-bennett/it-is-not-our-mistakes-that-define-who-we-are-it-is-how-we-recover/) [Bo Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-bennett/) > [America is wonderful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-linley/america-is-wonderful/) [David Linley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-linley/) > [I thought it was quite wonderful coming to America. I think immigration is a very difficult thing, but America is a very wonderful place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-thought-it-was-quite-wonderful-coming-to-america-i-think/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We all make mistakes in life. It's how you recover from the mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-homie-quan/we-all-make-mistakes-in-life-it-s-how-you-recover-from-the-mistakes/) [Rich Homie Quan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-homie-quan/) > [The idea of America is so wonderful because the more equal something is, the more American it is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/the-idea-of-america-is-so-wonderful-because-the-more-equal-something/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [America is a wonderful country! I mean it! No honest writer would challenge that statement! The human comedy never runs out of material! it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/america-is-a-wonderful-country-i-mean-it-no-honest-writer-would/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) ## More by Roger Scruton > [Beauty is vanishing from our world because we live as though it does not matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/beauty-is-vanishing-from-our-world-because-we-live-as-though-it-does/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“So conceived, the English police force served to emphasize a fundamental truth about the English law, which is that it exists not to control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/so-conceived-the-english-police-force-served-to-emphasize-a/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [My 2018 ended with a hate storm, in response to my appointment as chair of the government's Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/my-2018-ended-with-a-hate-storm-in-response-to-my-appointment-as/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [I've never been an optimist, but that's fine because pessimists have the possibility of being agreeably surprised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/i-ve-never-been-an-optimist-but-that-s-fine-because-pessimists-have/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [Unlike every other product that is now manufactured for the table, wine exists in as many varieties as there are people who produce it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/unlike-every-other-product-that-is-now-manufactured-for-the-table/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [The abstract, unreal freedom of the liberal intellect was really nothing more than childish disobedience, amplified into anarchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/the-abstract-unreal-freedom-of-the-liberal-intellect-was-really/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“I think we can all see the force of the idea that there are certain things that cannot be done to human beings –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/i-think-we-can-all-see-the-force-of-the-idea-that-there-are-certain/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [When art becomes merely shock value, our sense of humanity is slowly degraded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/when-art-becomes-merely-shock-value-our-sense-of-humanity-is-slowly/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“Western democracies did not create the virtue of citizenship; on the contrary, they grew from it. Nothing is more evident in The Federalist than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/western-democracies-did-not-create-the-virtue-of-citizenship-on-the/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“If one looks back to the French Revolution, one sees just how easy it is for the doctrine of “human rights” to become an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/if-one-looks-back-to-the-french-revolution-one-sees-just-how-easy-it/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“I say it was immediately apparent, but it was not apparent to the intellectual class, which has remained largely wedded to the post-war consensus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/i-say-it-was-immediately-apparent-but-it-was-not-apparent-to-the/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [Conservatives hold on to things not only because they are attached to them, but also because they do not see the sense in radical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/conservatives-hold-on-to-things-not-only-because-they-are-attached-to/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“Academic philosophers in the English speaking world still regard philosophy as Locke defined it in the 17th century, as “the handmaiden of the sciences”:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/academic-philosophers-in-the-english-speaking-world-still-regard/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [Delia Smith is, actually, my bete noire. I consider her a most pernicious influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/delia-smith-is-actually-my-bete-noire-i-consider-her-a-most/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [Modern art was born from a desire to destroy kitsch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/modern-art-was-born-from-a-desire-to-destroy-kitsch/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) [Explore all 317 Roger Scruton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "America has this wonderful ability to recover from its own mistakes, which is why it's so hugely superior to China.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roger Scruton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/america-has-this-wonderful-ability-to-recover-from-its-own-mistakes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ability" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/america-has-this-wonderful-ability-to-recover-from-its-own-mistakes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ff/roger-scruton-971_ability_america-has-this-wonderful-ability-to-re_1620597.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ff/roger-scruton-971_ability_america-has-this-wonderful-ability-to-re_1620597.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ff/roger-scruton-971_ability_america-has-this-wonderful-ability-to-re_1620597.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“America has this wonderful ability to recover from its own mistakes, which is why it's so hugely superior to…” — Roger Scruton", "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 Scruton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "America has this wonderful ability to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/america-has-this-wonderful-ability-to-recover-from-its-own-mistakes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/america-has-this-wonderful-ability-to-recover-from-its-own-mistakes/#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 } } ] } ```