--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I hate America. I hate this country. It’s…" description: "\"I hate America. I hate this country. It’s just big ideas, and stories, and people dying, and people like you. The white cracker who wrote the national ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/tony-kushner-2204_america_i-hate-america-i-hate-this-country-it-s_2629324.jpg" --- # I hate America. I hate this country. It’s just big ideas… ![“I hate America. I hate this country. It’s just big ideas, and stories, and people dying, and people like you. The white cracker who wrote the national anthem knew what he was doing. He set the word 'free' to a note so high nobody can reach it. That was deliberate. Nothing on earth sounds less like…” quote by Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/tony-kushner-2204_america_i-hate-america-i-hate-this-country-it-s_2629324.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/tony-kushner-2204_america_i-hate-america-i-hate-this-country-it-s_2629324.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/tony-kushner-2204_america_i-hate-america-i-hate-this-country-it-s_2629324.jpg) > “I hate America. I hate this country. It’s just big ideas, and stories, and people dying, and people like you. The white cracker who wrote the national anthem knew what he was doing. He set the word 'free' to a note so high nobody can reach it. That was deliberate. Nothing on earth sounds less like freedom to me. You come to room 1013 over at the hospital, I'll show you America. Terminal, crazy and mean. I live in America, that’s hard enough, I don’t have to love it. You do that. Everybody’s got to love something.” [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. America is portrayed as a flawed, oppressive system where ideals of freedom are unattainable, reflecting deep disillusionment. **In simple terms:** America feels broken and its promise of freedom feels out of reach. Key Takeaway Recognize systemic flaws and seek authentic change. Themes politics disillusionment freedom Mood critical defiant somber Type political social commentary When to use this quote - activism - policy reform - community organizing - personal reflection Key Concepts Systemic oppression illusion of liberty national identity Questions to Reflect On - What reforms could make freedom more real? - How can individuals resist oppressive narratives? A Different Perspective Optimism about reform may overlook entrenched power structures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [America Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-hate-1332041/) [Anthem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthem/) [Big idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-idea/) [Big ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-ideas/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Crackers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crackers/) [Crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crazy/) [Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Hate America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate-america-434732/) [Hate Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate-country-1745526/) [I hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-hate/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Like you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-you/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [National anthem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-anthem/) [Notes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notes/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-dying/) [Rooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rooms/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) ## Related quotes > [Liberals hate America, they hate flag-wavers, they hate abortion opponents, they hate all religions except Islam, post 9/11. Even Islamic terrorists don't hate America…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/liberals-hate-america-they-hate-flag-wavers-they-hate-abortion/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [“I don't really care. The whole division can hate me. The whole roster can hate me. The whole of America can hate me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/i-don-t-really-care-the-whole-division-can-hate-me-the-whole-roster/) [Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/) > [The white cracker who wrote the National Anthem knew what he was doing. He set the word "free" to a note so high nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-white-cracker-who-wrote-the-national-anthem-knew-what-he-was/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [Racism has always existed, and a big part of it is people just not knowing others. I think humans change other human's minds, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maz-jobrani/racism-has-always-existed-and-a-big-part-of-it-is-people-just-not/) [Maz Jobrani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maz-jobrani/) > [The left's propulsion is hate, and they have to have an outlet for the hate. They hate so much. They hate many elements of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-left-s-propulsion-is-hate-and-they-have-to-have-an-outlet-for-the/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Let's not forget that the essential message of a Republican candidate is a tricky sell. That you love America, but hate all the groups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-boyle/let-s-not-forget-that-the-essential-message-of-a-republican-candidate/) [Frankie Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-boyle/) > [I don't know if you've ever been to England, but as soon as they find out you're from America, they hate you. They just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-don-t-know-if-you-ve-ever-been-to-england-but-as-soon-as-they-find/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [I love America and I hate it. I'm torn between the two. I have two conflicting visions of America. One is a kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/i-love-america-and-i-hate-it-i-m-torn-between-the-two-i-have-two/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [Trump can be damned to all hell with his enclosed little world in which no thought is possible. But it's the encouraging of half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/trump-can-be-damned-to-all-hell-with-his-enclosed-little-world-in/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [“America—where we hate our fathers, love our mothers, and everyone is hung up on trying to be a man”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/volatalistic-phil/america-where-we-hate-our-fathers-love-our-mothers-and-everyone-is/) [Volatalistic Phil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/volatalistic-phil/) > [Your mom can't hate a whole country because of one person!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/your-mom-can-t-hate-a-whole-country-because-of-one-person/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [Many elitists hate rap as much as they hate country, though they don't like to admit it for fear of appearing racially insensitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-shetterly/many-elitists-hate-rap-as-much-as-they-hate-country-though-they-don-t/) [Will Shetterly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-shetterly/) > [“How does one hate a country, or love one? Tibe talks about it; I lack the trick of it. I know people, I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/how-does-one-hate-a-country-or-love-one-tibe-talks-about-it-i-lack/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Yes! I hate everything about this country. Like, I hate fat white Americans. All the people who are crunched into the middle of America,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azealia-banks/yes-i-hate-everything-about-this-country-like-i-hate-fat-white/) [Azealia Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azealia-banks/) > [There are too many people who imagine that there is something sophisticated about always believing the best of those who hate your country, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/there-are-too-many-people-who-imagine-that-there-is-something/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) ## More by Tony Kushner > [My whole life has conspired to bring me to this place, and I can’t despise my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/my-whole-life-has-conspired-to-bring-me-to-this-place-and-i-can-t/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The big influence on me was Robert Altman, who, especially in 'Nashville,' transformed my sense of dramatic structure and showed how you could handle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-big-influence-on-me-was-robert-altman-who-especially-in-nashville/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“Fabulous. If you possess it, you don’t need to ask what it is. When you attempt to delineate it, you move away from it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/fabulous-if-you-possess-it-you-don-t-need-to-ask-what-it-is-when-you/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [People are more easily manipulated when they don't have information. If you ensure that kids grow up without basic reading skills, math skills, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/people-are-more-easily-manipulated-when-they-don-t-have-information/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The white cracker who wrote the National Anthem knew what he was doing. He set the word "free" to a note so high nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-white-cracker-who-wrote-the-national-anthem-knew-what-he-was/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“If the snake sheds his skin before a new skin is ready, naked he will be in the world, prey to the forces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/if-the-snake-sheds-his-skin-before-a-new-skin-is-ready-naked-he-will/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“MATAMORE: I never fight with my love face on, I worry that it might get scratched.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/matamore-i-never-fight-with-my-love-face-on-i-worry-that-it-might-get/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“I never really feel that I’m stuck. I actually think that people are never stuck, there’s no such thing as writers block, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/i-never-really-feel-that-i-m-stuck-i-actually-think-that-people-are/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The act of thinking and interpreting is so central to Judaism that it makes more sense that we've become people like Woody Allen -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-act-of-thinking-and-interpreting-is-so-central-to-judaism-that-it/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [Respect the delicate ecology of your delusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/respect-the-delicate-ecology-of-your-delusions/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [The general consensus among historians, among the ones who can handle the fact that 'Lincoln' is, in fact, historical fiction, is that we demonstrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-general-consensus-among-historians-among-the-ones-who-can-handle/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [“I've lived through such terrible times and there are people who live through much worse. But you see them living anyway. When they're more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/i-ve-lived-through-such-terrible-times-and-there-are-people-who-live/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [When really writing I'm not a good friend. Because writing disorganizes the social self, you become atomized. It scrambles you, sometimes to the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/when-really-writing-i-m-not-a-good-friend-because-writing/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [My back went out and I gained 40 pounds while sweating over 'Perestroika.' It was incredibly hard, the hardest thing I had to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/my-back-went-out-and-i-gained-40-pounds-while-sweating-over/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [Film is like tech starts on the first day of filming and it never stops. There's never a moment when the audience comes in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/film-is-like-tech-starts-on-the-first-day-of-filming-and-it-never/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) [Explore all 179 Tony Kushner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? 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Nothing on earth sounds less like freedom to me. You come to room 1013 over at the hospital, I'll show you America. Terminal, crazy and mean. I live in America, that’s hard enough, I don’t have to love it. You do that. 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