--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He thought rightly that we Americans, by…" description: "\"“He thought rightly that we Americans, by inclination at least, have been divided into two kinds: “boomers” and “stickers.” Boomers, he said, are “thos..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/wendell-berry-236_boomers_he-thought-rightly-that-we-americans-by_93280.jpg" --- # He thought rightly that we Americans, by inclination at… ![“He thought rightly that we Americans, by inclination at least, have been divided into two kinds: “boomers” and “stickers.” Boomers, he said, are “those who pillage and run,” who want “to make a killing and end up on Easy Street,” whereas stickers are “those who settle, and love the life they have…” quote by Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/wendell-berry-236_boomers_he-thought-rightly-that-we-americans-by_93280.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/wendell-berry-236_boomers_he-thought-rightly-that-we-americans-by_93280.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/wendell-berry-236_boomers_he-thought-rightly-that-we-americans-by_93280.jpg) > ““He thought rightly that we Americans, by inclination at least, have been divided into two kinds: “boomers” and “stickers.” Boomers, he said, are “those who pillage and run,” who want “to make a killing and end up on Easy Street,” whereas stickers are “those who settle, and love the life they have made and the place they have made it in.”” [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He distinguishes two American archetypes: opportunistic, wealth‑driven 'boomers' and content, community‑oriented 'stickers'. **In simple terms:** Two contrasting American mindsets. Key Takeaway Values shape life paths. Themes American identity generational attitudes materialism community individualism Mood reflective critical Type observation social critique When to use this quote - career planning - urban development - family life - political discourse Key Concepts social stratification motivation lifestyle choices Practical Applications - sociological analysis - cultural commentary Questions to Reflect On - How do these labels influence personal decisions? - Can one embody both traits? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boomers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boomers/) [Generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation/) ## Related quotes > [“Virtually all of us now share with the most powerful industrialists their remoteness from actual experience of the actual world. Like them, we participate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/virtually-all-of-us-now-share-with-the-most-powerful-industrialists/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Like the 'little emperors' of one-child China, too many Boomers were taught early that the world was made (or saved) for their comfort and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/like-the-little-emperors-of-one-child-china-too-many-boomers-were/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [“Boomers, the more than 76 million people born between 1946 and 1964, began turning 65 three years ago and all will have reached that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/boomers-the-more-than-76-million-people-born-between-1946-and-1964/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every generation trash-talks younger generations. Baby boomers labeled Generation X a group of tattooed slackers and materialists; Generation Xers have branded millennials as iPhone-addicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-blumenthal/every-generation-trash-talks-younger-generations-baby-boomers-labeled/) [Neil Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-blumenthal/) > [Americans need to call on Boomers, in their next act onstage, to behave like grown-ups. And there is no better way for them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/americans-need-to-call-on-boomers-in-their-next-act-onstage-to-behave/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [Retirees who are on Medicare will suffer the consequences of 700 billions of Medicare dollars instead being used to cover the skyrocketing cost of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-somers/retirees-who-are-on-medicare-will-suffer-the-consequences-of-700/) [Suzanne Somers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-somers/) > [Maybe it will be a great thing when the Baby Boomers finally die out. In real life, it's not a matter of the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-bowman/maybe-it-will-be-a-great-thing-when-the-baby-boomers-finally-die-out/) [Jack Bowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-bowman/) > [“The sociopaths’ goal is to wring every last dollar from the system, and any investment that could not be fully realized within Boomer lifetimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/the-sociopaths-goal-is-to-wring-every-last-dollar-from-the-system-and/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [When the boomers started to have kids reach adolescence, there was suddenly this feeling that they needed to protect their kids from all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/when-the-boomers-started-to-have-kids-reach-adolescence-there-was/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Packed with fascinating personal perspective and testimony, Michael Takiffs A Complicated Man wholly justifies its title. The book is far more than a kaleidoscopic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-hamilton/packed-with-fascinating-personal-perspective-and-testimony-michael/) [Nigel Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-hamilton/) > [Jews took it very seriously to marry other Jews and repopulate the Jewish bloodline, and my father's generation gets very serious in my household…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-lerman/jews-took-it-very-seriously-to-marry-other-jews-and-repopulate-the/) [Logan Lerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-lerman/) > [Like so many Boomers, I saw 'Lawrence of Arabia' in 1962 when it was first released and when we were young teenagers. I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-doria-russell/like-so-many-boomers-i-saw-lawrence-of-arabia-in-1962-when-it-was/) [Mary Doria Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-doria-russell/) > [I don't know if the idea of a career in show business or in the arts in general was looked down upon as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-sudeikis/i-don-t-know-if-the-idea-of-a-career-in-show-business-or-in-the-arts/) [Jason Sudeikis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-sudeikis/) > [Now, do I think the baby boomers tend to be self-absorbed? I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/now-do-i-think-the-baby-boomers-tend-to-be-self-absorbed-i-do/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“Yet GenX'er teens didn't slow down--they were just as likely to drive, drink alcohol, and date as their Boomer peers and more likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-m-twenge/yet-genx-er-teens-didn-t-slow-down-they-were-just-as-likely-to-drive/) [Jean M. Twenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-m-twenge/) ## More by Wendell Berry > [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [To husband is to use with care, to keep, to save, to make last, to conserve. Old usage tells us that there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/to-husband-is-to-use-with-care-to-keep-to-save-to-make-last-to/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“The two families, sundered in the ruin of a friendship, were united again first in new friendship and then in mariage. My grandfather made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-two-families-sundered-in-the-ruin-of-a-friendship-were-united/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [The living can't quit living because the world has turned terrible and people they love and need are killed. They can't because they don't.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-living-can-t-quit-living-because-the-world-has-turned-terrible/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“I knew a man who, in the age of chain-saws, went right on cutting his wood with a handsaw and an axe. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-knew-a-man-who-in-the-age-of-chain-saws-went-right-on-cutting-his/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“The concept of country, homeland, dwelling place becomes simplified as "the environment" -- that is, what surrounds us, we have already made a profound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-concept-of-country-homeland-dwelling-place-becomes-simplified-as/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/a-community-is-the-mental-and-spiritual-condition-of-knowing-that-the/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“That we can prescribe the terms of our own success, that we can live outside or in ignorance of the Great Economy are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/that-we-can-prescribe-the-terms-of-our-own-success-that-we-can-live/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“The mind that comes to rest is tended In ways that it cannot intend: Is borne, preserved, and comprehended By what it cannot comprehend.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mind-that-comes-to-rest-is-tended-in-ways-that-it-cannot-intend/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [The mercy of the world is time. Time does not stop for love, but it does not stop for death and grief, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mercy-of-the-world-is-time-time-does-not-stop-for-love-but-it/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-soil-is-the-great-connector-of-our-lives-the-source-and/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [I dislike the thought that some animal has been made miserable to feed me. If I am going to eat meat, I want it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-dislike-the-thought-that-some-animal-has-been-made-miserable-to/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/laughter-is-immeasurable-be-joyful/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [These are people who are capable of devotion, public devotion, to justice. They meant what they said and every day that passes, they mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/these-are-people-who-are-capable-of-devotion-public-devotion-to/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) [Explore all 847 Wendell Berry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) ## More Boomers quotes > [“Yet GenX'er teens didn't slow down--they were just as likely to drive, drink alcohol, and date as their Boomer peers and more likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-m-twenge/yet-genx-er-teens-didn-t-slow-down-they-were-just-as-likely-to-drive/) [Jean M. Twenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-m-twenge/) > [Now, do I think the baby boomers tend to be self-absorbed? I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/now-do-i-think-the-baby-boomers-tend-to-be-self-absorbed-i-do/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I don't know if the idea of a career in show business or in the arts in general was looked down upon as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-sudeikis/i-don-t-know-if-the-idea-of-a-career-in-show-business-or-in-the-arts/) [Jason Sudeikis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-sudeikis/) > [Like so many Boomers, I saw 'Lawrence of Arabia' in 1962 when it was first released and when we were young teenagers. I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-doria-russell/like-so-many-boomers-i-saw-lawrence-of-arabia-in-1962-when-it-was/) [Mary Doria Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-doria-russell/) > [Jews took it very seriously to marry other Jews and repopulate the Jewish bloodline, and my father's generation gets very serious in my household…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-lerman/jews-took-it-very-seriously-to-marry-other-jews-and-repopulate-the/) [Logan Lerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-lerman/) > [Every generation trash-talks younger generations. Baby boomers labeled Generation X a group of tattooed slackers and materialists; Generation Xers have branded millennials as iPhone-addicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-blumenthal/every-generation-trash-talks-younger-generations-baby-boomers-labeled/) [Neil Blumenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-blumenthal/) > [Packed with fascinating personal perspective and testimony, Michael Takiffs A Complicated Man wholly justifies its title. The book is far more than a kaleidoscopic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-hamilton/packed-with-fascinating-personal-perspective-and-testimony-michael/) [Nigel Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-hamilton/) > [When the boomers started to have kids reach adolescence, there was suddenly this feeling that they needed to protect their kids from all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/when-the-boomers-started-to-have-kids-reach-adolescence-there-was/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [“The sociopaths’ goal is to wring every last dollar from the system, and any investment that could not be fully realized within Boomer lifetimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/the-sociopaths-goal-is-to-wring-every-last-dollar-from-the-system-and/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [Maybe it will be a great thing when the Baby Boomers finally die out. In real life, it's not a matter of the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-bowman/maybe-it-will-be-a-great-thing-when-the-baby-boomers-finally-die-out/) [Jack Bowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-bowman/) > [Retirees who are on Medicare will suffer the consequences of 700 billions of Medicare dollars instead being used to cover the skyrocketing cost of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-somers/retirees-who-are-on-medicare-will-suffer-the-consequences-of-700/) [Suzanne Somers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-somers/) > [Americans need to call on Boomers, in their next act onstage, to behave like grown-ups. And there is no better way for them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/americans-need-to-call-on-boomers-in-their-next-act-onstage-to-behave/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [The Boomers are a core audience for us, and we want them to have a resort experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-ross/the-boomers-are-a-core-audience-for-us-and-we-want-them-to-have-a/) [Ryan Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-ross/) > [“Boomers, the more than 76 million people born between 1946 and 1964, began turning 65 three years ago and all will have reached that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/boomers-the-more-than-76-million-people-born-between-1946-and-1964/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Once Boomers have been unseated, undoing their decades of mismanagement will require a significant social reorganization, especially of retirement and health-care benefits, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/once-boomers-have-been-unseated-undoing-their-decades-of/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) [Browse all 126 Boomers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boomers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He thought rightly that we Americans, by inclination at least, have been divided into two kinds: “boomers” and “stickers.” Boomers, he said, are “those who pillage and run,” who want “to make a killing and end up on Easy Street,” whereas stickers are “those who settle, and love the life they have made and the place they have made it in.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wendell Berry" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/he-thought-rightly-that-we-americans-by-inclination-at-least-have/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boomers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/he-thought-rightly-that-we-americans-by-inclination-at-least-have/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/wendell-berry-236_boomers_he-thought-rightly-that-we-americans-by_93280.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/wendell-berry-236_boomers_he-thought-rightly-that-we-americans-by_93280.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/wendell-berry-236_boomers_he-thought-rightly-that-we-americans-by_93280.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He thought rightly that we Americans, by inclination at least, have been divided into two kinds: “boomers”…” — Wendell Berry", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Wendell Berry", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He thought rightly that we Americans,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/he-thought-rightly-that-we-americans-by-inclination-at-least-have/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/he-thought-rightly-that-we-americans-by-inclination-at-least-have/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```