--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have as Americans a right to be here…" description: "\"We have as Americans a right to be here, and we also have a responsibility to build bridges of reconciliation with the families of those who died on 11..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83a/sharif-el-gamal-277515_bridges_we-have-as-americans-a-right-to-be-here_947884.png" --- # We have as Americans a right to be here, and we also have… ![“We have as Americans a right to be here, and we also have a responsibility to build bridges of reconciliation with the families of those who died on 11 September,” quote by Sharif El-Gamal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83a/sharif-el-gamal-277515_bridges_we-have-as-americans-a-right-to-be-here_947884.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83a/sharif-el-gamal-277515_bridges_we-have-as-americans-a-right-to-be-here_947884.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83a/sharif-el-gamal-277515_bridges_we-have-as-americans-a-right-to-be-here_947884.png) > “We have as Americans a right to be here, and we also have a responsibility to build bridges of reconciliation with the families of those who died on 11 September,” [Sharif El-Gamal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharif-el-gamal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Americans must honor the dead by rebuilding relationships with victims' families, merging rights with responsibility. **In simple terms:** Build bridges with victims' families after tragedy. Key Takeaway Act responsibly toward those affected. Themes responsibility reconciliation rights memory nation Mood solemn hopeful Type Bridges:1 Died:1 Family:1 Reconciliation:1 Responsibility:1 September:1 Americans Right:0 11 September:0 Right Responsibility:0 Bridges Reconciliation:0 When to use this quote - community outreach - memorial events - policy advocacy Key Concepts social contract collective healing public policy Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance remembrance with progress? - What responsibilities arise after national tragedy? A Different Perspective Balancing rights and responsibilities can be politically contentious. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [11 September](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/11-september-774060/) [Americans Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-right-771684/) [Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Bridges Reconciliation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges-reconciliation-1668811/) [Died](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/died/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Reconciliation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reconciliation/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Right Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-responsibility-1232021/) [September](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/september/) ## Related quotes > [Americans have not only a right but a responsibility to consider the values of those who seek to lead them - whether they arise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/americans-have-not-only-a-right-but-a-responsibility-to-consider-the/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) > [The behaviour of President Bush on 11 September certainly gives rise to not unnatural suspicions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-behaviour-of-president-bush-on-11-september-certainly-gives-rise/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [There was no silver bullet that could have prevented the 11 September attacks. There was nothing demonstrating or showing that something was coming in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/there-was-no-silver-bullet-that-could-have-prevented-the-11-september/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [It would have been very alarming - morally, and in other ways too - if an attack of that nature, the 11 September attacks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-would-have-been-very-alarming-morally-and-in-other-ways-too-if-an/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“On 11 September 2001 the Twin Towers were hit. Twelve years earlier, on 9 November 1989, the Berlin Wall fell. That date heralded the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/on-11-september-2001-the-twin-towers-were-hit-twelve-years-earlier-on/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [On 11 September, I was living in Greenwich Village, New York; my children learned to tell south from north by looking at the World…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yochai-benkler/on-11-september-i-was-living-in-greenwich-village-new-york-my/) [Yochai Benkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yochai-benkler/) > [In the wake of the events of 11 September 2001, it now seems clear that the shock of the attacks was exploited in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/in-the-wake-of-the-events-of-11-september-2001-it-now-seems-clear/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [That morning of 11 September 2001, as we watched the twin towers crumble on live television, America and I would develop a bond that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/that-morning-of-11-september-2001-as-we-watched-the-twin-towers/) [Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/) > [People should go about their daily lives, to work, to live, to travel, to shop, to do the things people did in the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/people-should-go-about-their-daily-lives-to-work-to-live-to-travel-to/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [Last time I checked, private nonprofit organizations have a right and a responsibility to be able to set the highest standards and criteria on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-handel/last-time-i-checked-private-nonprofit-organizations-have-a-right-and/) [Karen Handel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-handel/) > [“This is your life and you have the right and responsibility to make good decisions for yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/this-is-your-life-and-you-have-the-right-and-responsibility-to-make/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [It is both a right and a responsibility of a democratic society to manage immigration so that it serves the national interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/it-is-both-a-right-and-a-responsibility-of-a-democratic-society-to/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [“Morally, no one has the right to judge anyone else. But legally, it's not a right - it's a responsibility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/morally-no-one-has-the-right-to-judge-anyone-else-but-legally-it-s/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Life provides me both the right and the responsibility of continuously adapting my way of thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-fulger/life-provides-me-both-the-right-and-the-responsibility-of/) [Mariana Fulger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-fulger/) > [In Islam, it is not just your right, but your responsibility to get education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/in-islam-it-is-not-just-your-right-but-your-responsibility-to-get/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) ## More Bridges quotes > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) > [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/) > [In my rear view mirror the sun is going down sinking behind bridges in the road and I think of all the good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/in-my-rear-view-mirror-the-sun-is-going-down-sinking-behind-bridges/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [My first big mistake was made when, in a moment of weakness, I consented to learn the game; for a man who can frankly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/my-first-big-mistake-was-made-when-in-a-moment-of-weakness-i/) [Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/) > [The WPA was one of the most productive elements of FDR's alphabet soup of agencies because it put people to work building roads, bridges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-wpa-was-one-of-the-most-productive-elements-of-fdr-s-alphabet/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sense-that-in-this-universe-we-are-treated-as-strangers-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you walk, try to think nothing! You can then obtain the silence of a streetlight or a bridge; stop thinking; after that, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-you-walk-try-to-think-nothing-you-can-then-obtain-the-silence-of/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [By the time they were pulling into the parking lot of the A&P, the mood was fading, the moment gone. Amy could feel it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/by-the-time-they-were-pulling-into-the-parking-lot-of-the-a-p-the/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [Al Pacino and Jeff Bridges do it for me in a big way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-scanlon/al-pacino-and-jeff-bridges-do-it-for-me-in-a-big-way/) [Angela Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-scanlon/) > [Instead of building castles against your enemies, build bridges for them to come to you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/instead-of-building-castles-against-your-enemies-build-bridges-for/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Instead of finding himself in nerd heaven—where every nerd gets fifty-eight virgins to role-play with—he woke up in Robert Wood Johnson with two broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/instead-of-finding-himself-in-nerd-heaven-where-every-nerd-gets-fifty/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Each person is an island unto himself, in a very real sense; and he can only build bridges to other islands if he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/each-person-is-an-island-unto-himself-in-a-very-real-sense-and-he-can/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [The real test of a bridge player isn’t in keeping out of trouble, but in escaping once he’s in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-sheinwold/the-real-test-of-a-bridge-player-isn-t-in-keeping-out-of-trouble-but/) [Alfred Sheinwold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-sheinwold/) > [The law ... allows rich as well as poor to sleep under bridges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/the-law-allows-rich-as-well-as-poor-to-sleep-under-bridges/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [Guys like Todd Bridges never overcame being a child star. You can't have any big failures. I've always felt regular. I played organized ball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bow-wow/guys-like-todd-bridges-never-overcame-being-a-child-star-you-can-t/) [Bow Wow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bow-wow/) [Browse all 1,521 Bridges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We have as Americans a right to be here, and we also have a responsibility to build bridges of reconciliation with the families of those who died on 11 September,", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sharif El-Gamal" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharif-el-gamal/we-have-as-americans-a-right-to-be-here-and-we-also-have-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bridges" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharif-el-gamal/we-have-as-americans-a-right-to-be-here-and-we-also-have-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83a/sharif-el-gamal-277515_bridges_we-have-as-americans-a-right-to-be-here_947884.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83a/sharif-el-gamal-277515_bridges_we-have-as-americans-a-right-to-be-here_947884.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83a/sharif-el-gamal-277515_bridges_we-have-as-americans-a-right-to-be-here_947884.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We have as Americans a right to be here, and we also have a responsibility to build bridges of…” — Sharif El-Gamal", "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": "Sharif El-Gamal", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharif-el-gamal/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We have as Americans a right...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharif-el-gamal/we-have-as-americans-a-right-to-be-here-and-we-also-have-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharif-el-gamal/we-have-as-americans-a-right-to-be-here-and-we-also-have-a/#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 } } ] } ```