--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Each generation of Americans must define…" description: "\"Each generation of Americans must define what it means to be an American.\" — William J. Clinton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/758/william-j-clinton-302_americans_each-generation-of-americans-must-define_3208594.jpg" --- # Each generation of Americans must define what it means to… ![“Each generation of Americans must define what it means to be an American.” quote by William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/758/william-j-clinton-302_americans_each-generation-of-americans-must-define_3208594.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/758/william-j-clinton-302_americans_each-generation-of-americans-must-define_3208594.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/758/william-j-clinton-302_americans_each-generation-of-americans-must-define_3208594.jpg) > “Each generation of Americans must define what it means to be an American.” [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Each generation must decide the values and identity that define their nation. **In simple terms:** Define national identity each generation. Key Takeaway Reflect on current values. Themes identity citizenship values Mood thoughtful inspirational Type political philosophical When to use this quote - political discourse - education curricula - media narratives - community discussions Key Concepts nationalism civic duty generational change Questions to Reflect On - How should we balance tradition and progress? - What values unite us? A Different Perspective Different perspectives may clash, causing division. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [Generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ## Related quotes > [And children, if your parents haven't been teaching you what it means to be an American, let 'em know and nail 'em on it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/and-children-if-your-parents-haven-t-been-teaching-you-what-it-means/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [And this President wakes up every morning, looks out across America and is proud to announce, 'It could be worse.' It could be worse?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/and-this-president-wakes-up-every-morning-looks-out-across-america/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Both of my parents were first-generation Americans, the children of Jews who left Eastern Europe around the turn of the century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-robert-horvitz/both-of-my-parents-were-first-generation-americans-the-children-of/) [H. Robert Horvitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-robert-horvitz/) > [The current economic climate means getting out of college is no guarantee of getting a job, and no guarantee of a satisfying work life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/the-current-economic-climate-means-getting-out-of-college-is-no/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Number one, we need to get in shape, number two we need to shoot, number three, we need to learn self-defense, and number four,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-shea/number-one-we-need-to-get-in-shape-number-two-we-need-to-shoot-number/) [Matt Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-shea/) > [It's certainly not too late to change to the winning side. But you know, you also have the freedom to stay just where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/it-s-certainly-not-too-late-to-change-to-the-winning-side-but-you/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Our example - and commitment - to freedom has changed the world. But along with the genius of our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/our-example-and-commitment-to-freedom-has-changed-the-world-but-along/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [We are all the sons or daughters of immigrants - some more recent than others - but all dedicated to the triumph of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kemp/we-are-all-the-sons-or-daughters-of-immigrants-some-more-recent-than/) [Jack Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kemp/) > [Sitting at the table doesn't make you a diner, unless you eat some of what's on that plate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/sitting-at-the-table-doesn-t-make-you-a-diner-unless-you-eat-some-of/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I think what it means to be an 'American Girl,' and what I wrote the song about, is our freedoms. The idea that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mckee/i-think-what-it-means-to-be-an-american-girl-and-what-i-wrote-the/) [Bonnie McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mckee/) > [New Brown America represents a whole generation of kids that are descendants of either immigrants or immigrants themselves, that are coming to America, enriching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/new-brown-america-represents-a-whole-generation-of-kids-that-are/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) > [What does it mean to be an American today? The question of that is always pointing at now. It allows someone to say what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-davis/what-does-it-mean-to-be-an-american-today-the-question-of-that-is/) Will Davis > [My parents taught me by example what it means to be American: to hope and to dream, and to work hard for those hopes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karine-jean-pierre/my-parents-taught-me-by-example-what-it-means-to-be-american-to-hope/) [Karine Jean-Pierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karine-jean-pierre/) > [We are a part of this unique, complex, and complicated fabric of what it means to be an American. Americans come in all colors,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamlyn-tomita/we-are-a-part-of-this-unique-complex-and-complicated-fabric-of-what/) [Tamlyn Tomita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamlyn-tomita/) > [I think that everybody has their own interpretations of what it means to be American. But from my vantage point, being black and successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vic-mensa/i-think-that-everybody-has-their-own-interpretations-of-what-it-means/) [Vic Mensa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vic-mensa/) ## More by William J. Clinton > [When personal freedom's being abused, you have to move to limit it. That's what we did in the announcement I made last weekend on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/when-personal-freedom-s-being-abused-you-have-to-move-to-limit-it/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Almost makes you want to go to jail out here, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/almost-makes-you-want-to-go-to-jail-out-here-doesn-t-it/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [I take full responsability...for what we did. It was the right thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/i-take-full-responsability-for-what-we-did-it-was-the-right-thing-to/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Undeniably, character does count for our citizens, out communities, and our Nation, and this week we celebrate the importance of character in our individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/undeniably-character-does-count-for-our-citizens-out-communities-and/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Even as people take pride in their national independence, we know we are becoming more and more interdependent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/even-as-people-take-pride-in-their-national-independence-we-know-we/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [To build a twenty-first-century economy, America must revive a nineteenth-century habit--investing in the common, national economic resources that enable every person and every firm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/to-build-a-twenty-first-century-economy-america-must-revive-a/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [One of the things that I think we have learned is that we should all be very careful about making predictions about the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/one-of-the-things-that-i-think-we-have-learned-is-that-we-should-all/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Only astrophysicists new about the Internet 20 years ago. Today my cat has a website.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/only-astrophysicists-new-about-the-internet-20-years-ago-today-my-cat/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Our military superiority is so great - it's far greater than it was in the Gulf War, and the Gulf War was over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/our-military-superiority-is-so-great-it-s-far-greater-than-it-was-in/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [You know, I've always been really interested in this stuff, and I'm going to read this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/you-know-i-ve-always-been-really-interested-in-this-stuff-and-i-m/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [If you believe in making change from the bottom up, if you believe the measure of change is how many people's lives are better,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/if-you-believe-in-making-change-from-the-bottom-up-if-you-believe-the/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [ We \[Democrats\] have got to be strong. When we look weak in a time where people feel insecure, we lose. when people feel uncertain,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/we-democrats-have-got-to-be-strong-when-we-look-weak-in-a-time-where/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [It's the economy, stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/it-s-the-economy-stupid/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [The Republicans could mess up a two car parade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/the-republicans-could-mess-up-a-two-car-parade/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [We're all in this together is a far better philosophy than you're on your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/we-re-all-in-this-together-is-a-far-better-philosophy-than-you-re-on/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) [Explore all 712 William J. Clinton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) ## More Americans quotes > [“People – Americans, mostly – realise how attached they are to material comforts when they arrive in India.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-william-roberts/people-americans-mostly-realise-how-attached-they-are-to-material/) Paul William Roberts > [Music has an intrinsic value that touches Americans - they love their music, and want more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-rosen/music-has-an-intrinsic-value-that-touches-americans-they-love-their/) [Hilary Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-rosen/) > [Americans are very friendly and very suspicious, that is what Americans are and that is what always upsets the foreigner, who deals with them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/americans-are-very-friendly-and-very-suspicious-that-is-what/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [Just because the Americans are so good at rattling out accessible and cheap junk food, nobody looks twice when it comes to their food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-oliver/just-because-the-americans-are-so-good-at-rattling-out-accessible-and/) [Jamie Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-oliver/) > [My parents don't care what Americans think of us; we just care what the other Indian people in our community think of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himanshu-suri/my-parents-don-t-care-what-americans-think-of-us-we-just-care-what/) [Himanshu Suri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himanshu-suri/) > [When Americans, who have no idea who I am, laugh at my jokes, it's exactly the same if someone loves you even if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gad-elmaleh/when-americans-who-have-no-idea-who-i-am-laugh-at-my-jokes-it-s/) [Gad Elmaleh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gad-elmaleh/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We Americans tend to be a prodigal lot. We are as careless with our personal resources as we are with the resources of nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-crook-de-camp/we-americans-tend-to-be-a-prodigal-lot-we-are-as-careless-with-our/) [Catherine Crook de Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-crook-de-camp/) > [Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/americans-will-put-up-with-anything-provided-it-doesn-t-block-traffic/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Most Americans believe in fairness; we believe that people should work hard but there should be a safety net. We believe in saving the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-maclean/most-americans-believe-in-fairness-we-believe-that-people-should-work/) [Nancy MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-maclean/) > [“Using a wide variety of media, we could demonstrate for our fellow Americans their anxieties, desires, insufficiencies, and frustrations--and how to assuage them all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-ferris/using-a-wide-variety-of-media-we-could-demonstrate-for-our-fellow/) [Joshua Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-ferris/) > [The Americans say that we are ungrateful-but I ask them for heaven's sake, what should we be grateful to them for-for murdering our fathers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walker/the-americans-say-that-we-are-ungrateful-but-i-ask-them-for-heaven-s/) [David Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walker/) > [So many Korean Americans like me came to this country with the hope of achieving their own American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-steel/so-many-korean-americans-like-me-came-to-this-country-with-the-hope/) [Michelle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-steel/) > [You are Americans. You love this country. Together we are entrusted with the principles that represent mankind's greatest political and social achievement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tsongas/you-are-americans-you-love-this-country-together-we-are-entrusted/) [Paul Tsongas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tsongas/) [Browse all 1,536 Americans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Each generation of Americans must define what it means to be an American.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William J. 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