--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is not a man in America who has not…" description: "\"There is not a man in America who has not had a secret ambition to boot an infant.\" — W. C. Fields" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/w-c-fields-1625_ambition_there-is-not-a-man-in-america-who-has-no_544955.png" --- # There is not a man in America who has not had a secret… ![“There is not a man in America who has not had a secret ambition to boot an infant.” quote by W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/w-c-fields-1625_ambition_there-is-not-a-man-in-america-who-has-no_544955.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/w-c-fields-1625_ambition_there-is-not-a-man-in-america-who-has-no_544955.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/w-c-fields-1625_ambition_there-is-not-a-man-in-america-who-has-no_544955.png) > “There is not a man in America who has not had a secret ambition to boot an infant.” [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People secretly wish for extreme, often immoral actions, revealing dark humor. **In simple terms:** People harbor secret, absurd wishes. Key Takeaway Recognize and question hidden impulses. Themes dark humor secret wishes irony Mood wry satirical Type cautionary entertaining When to use this quote - political satire - comic monologues - social commentary Key Concepts human nature psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does this reveal about human nature? - How can humor expose uncomfortable truths? A Different Perspective Such wishes are not meant to be acted upon. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) ## Related quotes > [“As a culture, we had no heroes. Certainly not any politician--Barack Obama was then the most admired man in America (and likely still is),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/as-a-culture-we-had-no-heroes-certainly-not-any-politician-barack/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [I think also there was a lot of coming to terms with where I am in life, where I fit in as a gay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mould/i-think-also-there-was-a-lot-of-coming-to-terms-with-where-i-am-in/) [Bob Mould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-mould/) > [I'm a black man in America, so I'm going to be misunderstood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-m-a-black-man-in-america-so-i-m-going-to-be-misunderstood/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [ Now, the black man here was so-called free by \[Abe\] Lincoln 100 years ago. The black man in America has an - has a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/now-the-black-man-here-was-so-called-free-by-abe-lincoln-100-years/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [It is only in the mountains that I can fully appreciate my existence as a man in America, and my own native land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-delany/it-is-only-in-the-mountains-that-i-can-fully-appreciate-my-existence/) [Martin Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-delany/) > [Being a black man in America isn't easy. The hunt is on, and you're the prey. All I'm saying is... All I'm saying is...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-butler/being-a-black-man-in-america-isn-t-easy-the-hunt-is-on-and-you-re-the/) Mr Butler > [According to USA today, the average length of an attention span of a man in America is 23 minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fripp/according-to-usa-today-the-average-length-of-an-attention-span-of-a/) [Robert Fripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fripp/) > [When did it become something of shame or ridicule to be a self-made man in America?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/when-did-it-become-something-of-shame-or-ridicule-to-be-a-self-made/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [Haldeman is the only man in America in this generation who let his hair grow for a courtroom appearance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mcgrory/haldeman-is-the-only-man-in-america-in-this-generation-who-let-his/) [Mary McGrory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mcgrory/) > [We're not perfect. We're a work in progress. But man, America has gotten a lot of things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-edwards/we-re-not-perfect-we-re-a-work-in-progress-but-man-america-has-gotten/) [Donna Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-edwards/) > [Any gay man in America redeals a deck at some point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sean-greer/any-gay-man-in-america-redeals-a-deck-at-some-point/) [Andrew Sean Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sean-greer/) > [When did it something of shame or ridicule to be a self-made man in America?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/when-did-it-something-of-shame-or-ridicule-to-be-a-self-made-man-in/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [It will be helpful in our mutual objective to allow every man in America to look his neighbor in the face and see a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adlai-e-stevenson/it-will-be-helpful-in-our-mutual-objective-to-allow-every-man-in/) [Adlai E. Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adlai-e-stevenson/) > [Dillinger at one point was the second most popular man in America after President Roosevelt. And he was a national hero for a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mann/dillinger-at-one-point-was-the-second-most-popular-man-in-america/) [Michael Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mann/) > [As a black man in America, I have lived the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-stallworth/as-a-black-man-in-america-i-have-lived-the-truth/) [Ron Stallworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-stallworth/) ## More by W. C. Fields > [Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house unless they have a well-stocked bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/thou-shalt-not-covet-thy-neighbor-s-house-unless-they-have-a-well/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [Take me down to the bar! We'll drink breakfast together!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/take-me-down-to-the-bar-we-ll-drink-breakfast-together/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [There comes a time in the affairs of man when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/there-comes-a-time-in-the-affairs-of-man-when-he-must-take-the-bull/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [If pigs had wings, they would be pigeons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/if-pigs-had-wings-they-would-be-pigeons/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [I feel like a midget with muddy feet had been walking over my tongue all night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/i-feel-like-a-midget-with-muddy-feet-had-been-walking-over-my-tongue/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [What would you do if you were President, and, on the first day of May, the Russian Ambassador presented you with a beautiful cake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/what-would-you-do-if-you-were-president-and-on-the-first-day-of-may/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [My illness is due to my doctor's insistence that I drink milk, a whitish fluid they force down helpless babies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/my-illness-is-due-to-my-doctor-s-insistence-that-i-drink-milk-a/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [I am an expert of electricity. My father occupied the chair of applied electricity at the state prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/i-am-an-expert-of-electricity-my-father-occupied-the-chair-of-applied/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [Bert Williams was the funniest man I ever saw and the saddest man I ever knew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/bert-williams-was-the-funniest-man-i-ever-saw-and-the-saddest-man-i/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [A comic should suffer as much over a single line as a man with a hernia would in picking up a heavy barbell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/a-comic-should-suffer-as-much-over-a-single-line-as-a-man-with-a/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [All my available funds are completely tied up in cash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/all-my-available-funds-are-completely-tied-up-in-cash/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [Back in my rummy days, I would tremble and shake for hours upon arising. It was the only exercise I got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/back-in-my-rummy-days-i-would-tremble-and-shake-for-hours-upon/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [Happiness means quiet nerves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/happiness-means-quiet-nerves/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [W. C. Fields, a lifetime agnostic, was discovered reading a Bible on his deathbed. ''I'm looking for a loop-hole,'' he explained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/w-c-fields-a-lifetime-agnostic-was-discovered-reading-a-bible-on-his/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [The movie people would have nothing to do with me until they heard me speak in a Broadway play, then they all wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/the-movie-people-would-have-nothing-to-do-with-me-until-they-heard-me/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) [Explore all 221 W. C. Fields quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) ## More Ambition quotes > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-s-worth-is-no-greater-than-the-worth-of-his-ambitions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/) [Julen Lopetegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julen-lopetegui/) > [“I was ambitious and desperate to direct my first film, so I capitulated and blew it. Never again. Never fucking again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-was-ambitious-and-desperate-to-direct-my-first-film-so-i/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Work towards your goal and dont watch the post size,its either they hate,or like you.there is no room for both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-buabeng/work-towards-your-goal-and-dont-watch-the-post-size-its-either-they/) [Isaac Buabeng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-buabeng/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [I play for high stakes and given an audience - there is no act too daring or too noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-play-for-high-stakes-and-given-an-audience-there-is-no-act-too/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There's nothing worse than a leader who lacks ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-leader-who-lacks-ambition/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If i can't even protect my captain's dream, then whatever ambition i have is nothing but talk..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoro/if-i-can-t-even-protect-my-captain-s-dream-then-whatever-ambition-i/) [Zoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoro/) > [It may seem unattainable but if you put actions, your heart and your mind into it, you will prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/it-may-seem-unattainable-but-if-you-put-actions-your-heart-and-your/) [London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/) > [Obligation is what's leading us to toward successful, and what keeps us moving towards the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wazim-shaw/obligation-is-what-s-leading-us-to-toward-successful-and-what-keeps/) [Wazim Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wazim-shaw/) [Browse all 4,601 Ambition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is not a man in America who has not had a secret ambition to boot an infant.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "W. 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