--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the greatest Americans have not been born…" description: "\"the greatest Americans have not been born yet they are waiting patiently for the past to die\" — Saul Williams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/saul-williams-3868_america_the-greatest-americans-have-not-been-bor_522319.png" --- # the greatest Americans have not been born yet they are… ![“the greatest Americans have not been born yet they are waiting patiently for the past to die” quote by Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/saul-williams-3868_america_the-greatest-americans-have-not-been-bor_522319.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/saul-williams-3868_america_the-greatest-americans-have-not-been-bor_522319.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/948/saul-williams-3868_america_the-greatest-americans-have-not-been-bor_522319.png) > “the greatest Americans have not been born yet they are waiting patiently for the past to die” [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Future generations will emerge after current ones fade, implying hope and patience for new leaders. **In simple terms:** Future leaders are waiting to arise. Key Takeaway Support emerging voices patiently. Themes future hope patience leadership Mood hopeful determined Type poetic social When to use this quote - political activism - community building - education reform Key Concepts sociopolitics generational change Questions to Reflect On - Who are the emerging leaders you see? - How can you nurture them? A Different Perspective Change may be slow and uncertain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Insightful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insightful/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Waiting Patiently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting-patiently/) ## Related quotes > [In her opinion, Alexander Graham Bell and Clarence Birdseye are the two greatest Americans that ever lived excluding Robert E. Lee. She believes we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/in-her-opinion-alexander-graham-bell-and-clarence-birdseye-are-the/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [Senator Joseph McCarthy was one of the greatest Americans who ever lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/senator-joseph-mccarthy-was-one-of-the-greatest-americans-who-ever/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [There's so many Chinese or Asian Americans that were either born in another country like I was and raised in America or born in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-butler/there-s-so-many-chinese-or-asian-americans-that-were-either-born-in/) [Ross Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-butler/) > [Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/let-the-word-go-forth-from-this-time-and-place-to-friend-and-foe-2/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Most Americans are born drunk, and really require a little wine or beer to sober them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/most-americans-are-born-drunk-and-really-require-a-little-wine-or/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [All Americans born between 1890 and 1945 wanted to be movie stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/all-americans-born-between-1890-and-1945-wanted-to-be-movie-stars/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Indians are born with an instinct for riding, rowing, hunting, fishing, and swimming. Americans are born with an instinct for fooling around with machines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/indians-are-born-with-an-instinct-for-riding-rowing-hunting-fishing/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [Most Americans are born drunk, and really require a little wine or beer to sober them. They have a sort of permanent intoxication from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/most-americans-are-born-drunk-and-really-require-a-little-wine-or-2/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [My grandparents on my fathers side come to America from Germany, so that made them, German-American. 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Occasionally she dallied for a while, enjoying the sunshine while strolling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-drinkwater/once-released-from-her-trading-responsibilities-she-descended-to/) [Carol Drinkwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-drinkwater/) > [“amazing? If it is, then you are not without hope. Hope is not gone.       Faith that Stands   It’s not easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherie-hill/amazing-if-it-is-then-you-are-not-without-hope-hope-is-not-gone-faith/) [Cherie Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherie-hill/) > [“Don't get caught up in a vortex of 'should haves'. Regret is Fear's big sister. The one that should never be let in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-dubusi-ii/don-t-get-caught-up-in-a-vortex-of-should-haves-regret-is-fear-s-big/) Andre Dubusi II > [Loneliness hits the minds of those that thinks they are single and alone. There's always someone out there waiting patiently for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/loneliness-hits-the-minds-of-those-that-thinks-they-are-single-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Saul Williams > [Fax me a fact and I'll telegram a hologram or telephone the son of man and tell him he is done. Leave a message…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/fax-me-a-fact-and-i-ll-telegram-a-hologram-or-telephone-the-son-of/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) > [I didn't ever want to make a rap album. I considered it too limiting. Now that's exactly what I've gone and done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/i-didn-t-ever-want-to-make-a-rap-album-i-considered-it-too-limiting/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) > [American culture is often so self-consumed that we often think that our problems are just our problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/american-culture-is-often-so-self-consumed-that-we-often-think-that/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) > [I remember back in the day when Chuck D called hip-hop the 'black people's CNN.' Well now, hip-hop is more like Fox News. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/i-remember-back-in-the-day-when-chuck-d-called-hip-hop-the-black/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) > [If we're gonna progress as a people we are going to realise that, as one of my favourite poets says, the other is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/if-we-re-gonna-progress-as-a-people-we-are-going-to-realise-that-as/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) > [I've always been inspired by a lot of work coming out of the UK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/i-ve-always-been-inspired-by-a-lot-of-work-coming-out-of-the-uk/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) > [My love is my soul's imagination... how do I love you... imagine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/my-love-is-my-soul-s-imagination-how-do-i-love-you-imagine/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) > [Some rather seek up high Than dig and grind that inner truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/some-rather-seek-up-high-than-dig-and-grind-that-inner-truth/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) > [I keep trying to forget, but I must remember. And gather the scattered continents of a self, once whole. 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I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/i-ve-never-believed-it-s-really-so-important-that-you-conform-to-the/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) > [I am hoping for peaceful transition into a new age. Obama has already played a great role in initiating us into that vision. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/i-am-hoping-for-peaceful-transition-into-a-new-age-obama-has-already/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) [Explore all 120 Saul Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) ## 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. 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