--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Americans were people who wanted to leave…" description: "\"Americans were people who wanted to leave every place better than they found it, to leave every man more of a man than they found him. ... Americans co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/129/stella-benson-13357_admirable_americans-were-people-who-wanted-to-leav_3034164.jpg" --- # Americans were people who wanted to leave every place… ![“Americans were people who wanted to leave every place better than they found it, to leave every man more of a man than they found him. ... Americans could open doors to almost all that was admirable - it was their misfortune, not their fault, that movies and victrolas and advertisements squeezed…” quote by Stella Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/129/stella-benson-13357_admirable_americans-were-people-who-wanted-to-leav_3034164.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/129/stella-benson-13357_admirable_americans-were-people-who-wanted-to-leav_3034164.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/129/stella-benson-13357_admirable_americans-were-people-who-wanted-to-leav_3034164.jpg) > “Americans were people who wanted to leave every place better than they found it, to leave every man more of a man than they found him. ... Americans could open doors to almost all that was admirable - it was their misfortune, not their fault, that movies and victrolas and advertisements squeezed in when they opened the door.” [Stella Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-benson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Americans strive to improve places and people, yet cultural forces can corrupt that ideal. **In simple terms:** People want to leave things better, but media can undermine. Key Takeaway Recognize and guard against corrupting influences. Themes idealism corruption media influence American identity Mood reflective critical Type philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - urban development - media consumption - personal responsibility - community building Key Concepts cultural critique optimism societal pressure Questions to Reflect On - How can we protect positive values from media intrusion? - What responsibilities do we have to maintain integrity? A Different Perspective Even good intentions can be eroded by pervasive media. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Admirable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admirable/) [Admirable Misfortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admirable-misfortune-4970569/) [Advertisements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertisements/) [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [Americans People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-people-606558/) [Doors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doors/) [Every man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-man/) [Faults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faults/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Man Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-americans-4624944/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Misfortunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misfortunes/) [Open doors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-doors/) [Opened Door](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opened-door/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) ## Related quotes > [We're Americans, and we have a rendezvous with destiny . . . 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Schlesinger Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr-2/) > [Americans are people who prefer the Continent to their own country, but refuse to learn its languages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-v-lucas/americans-are-people-who-prefer-the-continent-to-their-own-country/) [E. V. Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-v-lucas/) > [What distinguishes Americans from many people in the world is our kind of endemic optimism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/what-distinguishes-americans-from-many-people-in-the-world-is-our/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [I think it's only in a crisis that Americans see other people. It has to be an American crisis, of course. 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That is why we start.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-benson/we-travel-because-we-do-not-know-we-know-that-we-do-not-know-the-best/) [Stella Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-benson/) > [a committee, of course, exists for the purpose of damping enthusiasms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-benson/a-committee-of-course-exists-for-the-purpose-of-damping-enthusiasms/) [Stella Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-benson/) > [There are some people who can never see a little cloud of fantasy float across the horizon of their dreams without building a heavy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-benson/there-are-some-people-who-can-never-see-a-little-cloud-of-fantasy/) [Stella Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-benson/) > [You can't discover one foot of clay on an idol without suspecting the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-benson/you-can-t-discover-one-foot-of-clay-on-an-idol-without-suspecting-the/) [Stella Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-benson/) > [Family jokes, though rightly cursed by strangers, are the bond that keeps most families alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-benson/family-jokes-though-rightly-cursed-by-strangers-are-the-bond-that/) [Stella Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-benson/) > [“I want to go out into the country, I want to thread the pale Spring air, and hear the lambs cry. 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