--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, we are Americans. I've always…" description: "\"Well, we are Americans. I've always believed that you work with where you are - I am a Mormon woman who was raised on the edge of the Great Salt Lake i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/terry-tempest-williams-835_always-believe_well-we-are-americans-i-ve-always-believ_3011881.png" --- # Well, we are Americans. I've always believed that you work… ![“Well, we are Americans. I've always believed that you work with where you are - I am a Mormon woman who was raised on the edge of the Great Salt Lake in the American West in the United States of America. But, by the same token, much of my life has been spent resisting traditional forms of…” quote by Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/terry-tempest-williams-835_always-believe_well-we-are-americans-i-ve-always-believ_3011881.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/terry-tempest-williams-835_always-believe_well-we-are-americans-i-ve-always-believ_3011881.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/terry-tempest-williams-835_always-believe_well-we-are-americans-i-ve-always-believ_3011881.png) > “Well, we are Americans. I've always believed that you work with where you are - I am a Mormon woman who was raised on the edge of the Great Salt Lake in the American West in the United States of America. But, by the same token, much of my life has been spent resisting traditional forms of democracy, resisting traditional forms of orthodoxy, be it the United States government or the Mormon Church.” [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author reflects on being an American Mormon woman who both embraces her roots and resists mainstream religious and governmental authority. **In simple terms:** She balances identity with resistance to traditional authority. Key Takeaway Embrace identity while questioning institutions. Themes identity resistance faith individualism culture Mood thoughtful reflective Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - family life - community involvement - political activism - spiritual practice Key Concepts Mormonism American West personal autonomy Questions to Reflect On - What does resistance mean to you personally? - How can one honor heritage while challenging norms? 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I've been saying this for a while: for our country to do good, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-narstie/the-only-diversity-in-the-brits-is-with-the-americans-i-ve-been/) [Big Narstie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-narstie/) > [Europeans are far more anti-war than Americans. They've had more wars, and they really just don't believe in it any more. But Americans do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/europeans-are-far-more-anti-war-than-americans-they-ve-had-more-wars/) [Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/) > [What are Americans? We've got everything from sharecroppers to atomic physicist here, and there's certainly no uniformity in their thought processes. There's very little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/what-are-americans-we-ve-got-everything-from-sharecroppers-to-atomic/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [I've been to Iraq three times. I've been to Afghanistan, I've been quite a few places, and I want to tell you something, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-daniels/i-ve-been-to-iraq-three-times-i-ve-been-to-afghanistan-i-ve-been/) [Charlie Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-daniels/) > [I think Brits are more confident probably, and don't rely on self help in the way a lot of Americans do. But we've certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-o-porter/i-think-brits-are-more-confident-probably-and-don-t-rely-on-self-help/) [Dawn O'Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-o-porter/) > [Puerto Ricans are Americans. We've been American citizens since 1917. We fought the same battles, made the same sacrifices. We've lost our land in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-antonio-denis/puerto-ricans-are-americans-we-ve-been-american-citizens-since-1917/) [Nelson Antonio Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-antonio-denis/) > [We've got to be Americans first. We've got to pull together and unite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-falwell-jr/we-ve-got-to-be-americans-first-we-ve-got-to-pull-together-and-unite/) [Jerry Falwell, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-falwell-jr/) > [We've always had anti-Americans. We've always had left-wing protesters and so forth, but they were always off to the left kooks. They were always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-ve-always-had-anti-americans-we-ve-always-had-left-wing-protesters/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [When I grew up in America, I didn't see anyone who looked like me on TV. 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I write because it is dangerous, a bloody risk, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-write-to-discover-i-write-to-uncover-i-write-to-meet-my-ghosts-i/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“I write to make peace with the things I cannot control. I write to create red in a world that often appears black and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-write-to-make-peace-with-the-things-i-cannot-control-i-write-to/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [Hope is not attached to outcomes but is a state of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/hope-is-not-attached-to-outcomes-but-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I have spoken about what we can do as citizens, what we can do as a responsive citizenry, and this is where we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-have-spoken-about-what-we-can-do-as-citizens-what-we-can-do-as-a/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [The moment Eve bit into the apple, her eyes opened and she became free. She exposed the truth of what every woman knows: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/the-moment-eve-bit-into-the-apple-her-eyes-opened-and-she-became-free/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I accept the Organic Trinity of Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal with as much authority as I accept the Holy Trinity. Both are sacred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-accept-the-organic-trinity-of-mineral-vegetable-and-animal-with-as/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [Good writing must stay open to the questions and not fall prey to the pull of a polemic, otherwise, words simply become predictable, sentimental,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/good-writing-must-stay-open-to-the-questions-and-not-fall-prey-to-the/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“I believe we must do things in our lives for the right reasons, because we enjoy doing them, with no expectation of getting something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-believe-we-must-do-things-in-our-lives-for-the-right-reasons/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [A mother and daughter are an edge. Edges are ecotones, transitional zones, places of danger or opportunity. House-dwelling tension. When I stand on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/a-mother-and-daughter-are-an-edge-edges-are-ecotones-transitional/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“To be read. To be heard. To be seen. I want to be read, I want to be heard. I don't need to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/to-be-read-to-be-heard-to-be-seen-i-want-to-be-read-i-want-to-be/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [The Eyes of the Future are looking back at us and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/the-eyes-of-the-future-are-looking-back-at-us-and-they-are-praying/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) [Explore all 357 Terry Tempest Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) ## More Always believe quotes > [I always believed that photography was subjective, interpretive and certainly did not represent the truth, but I did think that its status as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-ritchin/i-always-believed-that-photography-was-subjective-interpretive-and/) [Fred Ritchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-ritchin/) > [I've always believed that humans are good at heart. 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I always believed in equality, but there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindy-west/the-messaging-campaign-that-stigmatized-the-term-feminist-definitely/) [Lindy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindy-west/) > [I have always believed that anybody with a little guts and the desire to apply himself can make it, can make anything he wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-shoemaker/i-have-always-believed-that-anybody-with-a-little-guts-and-the-desire/) [Bill Shoemaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-shoemaker/) > [So like any football or basketball coach, you always always believe you're going to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/so-like-any-football-or-basketball-coach-you-always-always-believe/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [I've always believed that a good twist is one that, when it is presented to the audience, half of them say, 'I saw that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-lindelof/i-ve-always-believed-that-a-good-twist-is-one-that-when-it-is/) [Damon Lindelof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-lindelof/) > [We hate guys who date more than one woman at a time. 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