America Quote by Tom Vilsack
“Sixteen percent of our population is rural, but 40 percent of our military is rural. I don't believe that's because of a lack of opportunity in rural America. I believe that's because if you grow up in rural America, you know you can't just keep taking from the land. You've got to give something back.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Rural America and Military Service, 2021
Rural upbringing fosters a sense of duty to give back, explaining higher military enlistment from those areas.
In simple terms: Rural values encourage service.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate community responsibility.
Themes
service
duty
rural identity
Mood
proud
reflective
Type
social
political
When to use this quote
- rural schools
- military enlistment
- community programs
Key Concepts
sociology
military recruitment
Questions to Reflect On
- How can urban areas foster similar responsibility?
- What policies support this sense of duty?
A Different Perspective
Assumes all rural people share this ethos.
![“Go walk the streets of Beijing. It's pretty hard to argue it isn't a modern city. Now, if you go outside [of Beijing], in the rural areas, that's true. But rural America, you can say the same thing, in Appalachia there's an awful lot of poverty and lack of education.” quote by Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/726/michael-bloomberg-1293_america_go-walk-the-streets-of-beijing-it-s-pret_482884.jpg)
![“The [Democratic] party's become an urban party, and they don't get rural America. They don't get agriculture.” quote by Collin Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4ac/collin-peterson-19338_agriculture_the-democratic-party-s-become-an-urban-p_260510.jpg)
![“I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. [salutes]” quote by Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3d2/bill-hicks-970_america_i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumor_655.jpg)
