--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If any one idea can justly be called the…" description: "\"If any one idea can justly be called the American idea, it is that a child's circumstances at birth should not determine the station in life that that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/steven-weinberg-3159_american_if-any-one-idea-can-justly-be-called-the_2459970.png" --- # If any one idea can justly be called the American idea, it… ![“If any one idea can justly be called the American idea, it is that a child's circumstances at birth should not determine the station in life that that child will occupy as an adult.” quote by Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/steven-weinberg-3159_american_if-any-one-idea-can-justly-be-called-the_2459970.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/steven-weinberg-3159_american_if-any-one-idea-can-justly-be-called-the_2459970.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/steven-weinberg-3159_american_if-any-one-idea-can-justly-be-called-the_2459970.png) > “If any one idea can justly be called the American idea, it is that a child's circumstances at birth should not determine the station in life that that child will occupy as an adult.” [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote asserts that the American ideal is that a person's birth circumstances should not dictate their adult social status, emphasizing equality of opportunity. **In simple terms:** America values that birth conditions shouldn't limit one's future. Key Takeaway Promote policies that ensure equal opportunities for all. Themes equality social mobility American Dream Mood hopeful critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - education - employment - housing - healthcare - legislation Key Concepts meritocracy social justice economic opportunity Questions to Reflect On - What obstacles persist in achieving this ideal? - How can society better uphold it? A Different Perspective Systemic barriers often still limit mobility despite the ideal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“You think me the child of my circumstances: I make my circumstance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/you-think-me-the-child-of-my-circumstances-i-make-my-circumstance/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Those who have gone through a divorce know the pain and special challenges of raising a child under such circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mcgavick/those-who-have-gone-through-a-divorce-know-the-pain-and-special/) [Mike McGavick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mcgavick/) > [Growing up, I've always felt I was God's favoured child. Circumstances to help me just happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mawra-hocane/growing-up-i-ve-always-felt-i-was-god-s-favoured-child-circumstances/) [Mawra Hocane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mawra-hocane/) > [I don't know that the stereotypical idea of what it is to be a child of somebody hugely famous necessarily comes into play in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/i-don-t-know-that-the-stereotypical-idea-of-what-it-is-to-be-a-child/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [The idea that a child doesn't have the opportunity to be a child is devastating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-lively/the-idea-that-a-child-doesn-t-have-the-opportunity-to-be-a-child-is/) [Blake Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-lively/) > [The idea of being a 'child star' always sounded awful to people my age, and so I was just very aware that these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavi-gevinson/the-idea-of-being-a-child-star-always-sounded-awful-to-people-my-age/) [Tavi Gevinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavi-gevinson/) > [The idea that we could have a child who escapes from the confines of the adult world and goes somewhere where he has power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/the-idea-that-we-could-have-a-child-who-escapes-from-the-confines-of/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [The first idea the child must acquire is that of the difference between good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-first-idea-the-child-must-acquire-is-that-of-the-difference/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [The very idea that a child that is almost born into the world could still have their life taken from them is just anathema…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-very-idea-that-a-child-that-is-almost-born-into-the-world-could/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Establish in the mind of a young person the powerful idea that he or she is a child of God, and you have given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/establish-in-the-mind-of-a-young-person-the-powerful-idea-that-he-or/) [Dallin H. 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A system of protection of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-bannon/what-built-america-s-called-the-american-system-from-hamilton-to-polk/) [Steve Bannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-bannon/) > [I had to travel half way across the world to be called an American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-iglesias/i-had-to-travel-half-way-across-the-world-to-be-called-an-american/) [Gabriel Iglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-iglesias/) ## More by Steven Weinberg > [On balance the moral influence of religion has been awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/on-balance-the-moral-influence-of-religion-has-been-awful/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [“The apparent strengths of the forces in any field theory depend on two kinds of numerical parameter: the masses (if any) of the particles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/the-apparent-strengths-of-the-forces-in-any-field-theory-depend-on/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [“Many people do simply awful things out of sincere religious belief, not using religion as a cover the way that Saddam Hussein may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/many-people-do-simply-awful-things-out-of-sincere-religious-belief/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [This is often the way it is in physics - our mistake is not that we take our theories too seriously, but that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/this-is-often-the-way-it-is-in-physics-our-mistake-is-not-that-we/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/with-or-without-religion-you-would-have-good-people-doing-good-things/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [I would say it's a lot easier to develop a decoy system than to develop the intercontinental ballistic missile itself. I would think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/i-would-say-it-s-a-lot-easier-to-develop-a-decoy-system-than-to/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [Rational argument can be defeated by refusing to argue rationally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/rational-argument-can-be-defeated-by-refusing-to-argue-rationally/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [The universe is an enormous direct product of representations of symmetry groups.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/the-universe-is-an-enormous-direct-product-of-representations-of/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [Its a consequence of the experience of science. As you learn more and more about the universe, you find you can understand more and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/its-a-consequence-of-the-experience-of-science-as-you-learn-more-and/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [Our job in physics is to see things simply, to understand a great many complicated phenomena in a unified way, in terms of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/our-job-in-physics-is-to-see-things-simply-to-understand-a-great-many/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [“Plato and the neo-Platonists taught that the beauty we see in nature is a reflection of the beauty of the ultimate, the nous. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/plato-and-the-neo-platonists-taught-that-the-beauty-we-see-in-nature/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [An expert is a person who avoids the small errors while sweeping on to the grand fallacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/an-expert-is-a-person-who-avoids-the-small-errors-while-sweeping-on/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [If (the antiproton) had not been discovered, the foundations of physics really would have crumbled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/if-the-antiproton-had-not-been-discovered-the-foundations-of-physics/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [Even though I knew pretty early that I was going to be a scientist, it wasn't the science that interested me in science fiction;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/even-though-i-knew-pretty-early-that-i-was-going-to-be-a-scientist-it/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [If history is any guide at all, it seems to me to suggest that there is a final theory. In this century we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/if-history-is-any-guide-at-all-it-seems-to-me-to-suggest-that-there/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) [Explore all 137 Steven Weinberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [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/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) Browse all 7,717 American quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If any one idea can justly be called the American idea, it is that a child's circumstances at birth should not determine the station in life that that child will occupy as an adult.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steven Weinberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/if-any-one-idea-can-justly-be-called-the-american-idea-it-is-that-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/if-any-one-idea-can-justly-be-called-the-american-idea-it-is-that-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/steven-weinberg-3159_american_if-any-one-idea-can-justly-be-called-the_2459970.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/steven-weinberg-3159_american_if-any-one-idea-can-justly-be-called-the_2459970.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/steven-weinberg-3159_american_if-any-one-idea-can-justly-be-called-the_2459970.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If any one idea can justly be called the American idea, it is that a child's circumstances at birth should…” — Steven Weinberg", "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": "Steven Weinberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If any one idea can justly...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/if-any-one-idea-can-justly-be-called-the-american-idea-it-is-that-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/if-any-one-idea-can-justly-be-called-the-american-idea-it-is-that-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 } } ] } ```