--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no such thing as a hyphenated…" description: "\"“There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American. The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/theodore-roosevelt-218_american_there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-hyphenated-a_2354192.jpg" --- # There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a… ![“There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American. The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else. We are a nation, not a hodge-podge of foreign nationalities. We are a people, and not a polyglot boarding house.” quote by Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/theodore-roosevelt-218_american_there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-hyphenated-a_2354192.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/theodore-roosevelt-218_american_there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-hyphenated-a_2354192.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/theodore-roosevelt-218_american_there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-hyphenated-a_2354192.jpg) > ““There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American.  The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else.  We are a nation, not a hodge-podge of foreign nationalities.  We are a people, and not a polyglot boarding house.”” [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) ## 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 argues that true American identity requires exclusive allegiance to the nation, rejecting hyphenated or dual identities. **In simple terms:** Being American means being solely American. Key Takeaway Embrace a single national identity. Themes nationalism identity unity Mood defensive assertive Type political ideological When to use this quote - political debates - immigration policy - national celebrations - education curricula Key Concepts citizenship cultural assimilation political rhetoric Questions to Reflect On - How does hyphenated identity affect civic participation? - Can a nation thrive while embracing multiple cultures? A Different Perspective It overlooks the multicultural reality and contributions of diverse backgrounds. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [American Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-good-2546212/) [American Nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-nation-831435/) [Boarding house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boarding-house/) [Good American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-american-432651/) [Hyphenated American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hyphenated-american-2461896/) ## Related quotes > [“He had a satisfying wholeness about him, American good looks like a baseball player's- level shoulders, a pale shock of hair. A good mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-abu-jaber/he-had-a-satisfying-wholeness-about-him-american-good-looks-like-a/) [Diana Abu-Jaber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-abu-jaber/) > [The one being abhorrent to the powers above the earth and under them is the hyphenated American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-one-being-abhorrent-to-the-powers-above-the-earth-and-under-them/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-is-no-room-in-this-country-for-hyphenated-americanism-when-i/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [The government of Iran has no problem with the American nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-ahmadinejad/the-government-of-iran-has-no-problem-with-the-american-nation/) [Mahmoud Ahmadinejad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-ahmadinejad/) > [But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American and nothing but an American. 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I think it probably goes deeper than that. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/charles-reznikoff-was-in-between-faiths-in-between-worlds-a-double/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [You don't have freedom because you are a hyphenated American; you have freedom because you are an individual, and that should be protected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/you-don-t-have-freedom-because-you-are-a-hyphenated-american-you-have/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [The hyphenated American is ridiculous. But that's what we have to put up with. 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In that book are expressed its highest ideals of life, and no nation rises above those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/no-nation-is-better-than-its-sacred-book-in-that-book-are-expressed/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) > [We do not want an expanding struggle with consequences, that no one can perceive, nor will we bluster or bully or flaunt our power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/we-do-not-want-an-expanding-struggle-with-consequences-that-no-one/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [It's a historical phenomenon that in 250 years, a nation could move from a colony into the most prosperous nation of the world and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/it-s-a-historical-phenomenon-that-in-250-years-a-nation-could-move/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) ## More by Theodore Roosevelt > [No people is wholly civilized where a distinction is drawn between stealing an office and stealing a purse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/no-people-is-wholly-civilized-where-a-distinction-is-drawn-between/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [There can be no effective control of corporations while their political activity remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-can-be-no-effective-control-of-corporations-while-their/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Get action. Seize the moment. Man was never intended to become an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/get-action-seize-the-moment-man-was-never-intended-to-become-an-oyster/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Argument weak; speak loudly!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/argument-weak-speak-loudly/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Let the watchwords of all our people be the old familiar watchwords of honesty, decency, fair-dealing, and commonsense."... 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To put an end to it will be neither a short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-can-be-no-effective-control-of-corporations-while-their-2/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [If elected, I shall see to it that every man has a square deal, no less and no more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/if-elected-i-shall-see-to-it-that-every-man-has-a-square-deal-no-less/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) [Explore all 876 Theodore Roosevelt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) ## 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. 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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. 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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 ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American.  The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else.  We are a nation, not a hodge-podge of foreign nationalities.  We are a people, and not a polyglot boarding house.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Theodore Roosevelt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-hyphenated-american-who-is-a-good/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-hyphenated-american-who-is-a-good/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/theodore-roosevelt-218_american_there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-hyphenated-a_2354192.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/theodore-roosevelt-218_american_there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-hyphenated-a_2354192.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/theodore-roosevelt-218_american_there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-hyphenated-a_2354192.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American. 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