--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The things that the flag stands for were…" description: "\"The things that the flag stands for were created by the experiences of a great people. Everything that it stands for was written by their lives. The fl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/591/woodrow-wilson-534_american-patriotic_the-things-that-the-flag-stands-for-were_1736756.jpg" --- # The things that the flag stands for were created by the… ![“The things that the flag stands for were created by the experiences of a great people. Everything that it stands for was written by their lives. The flag is the embodiment, not of sentiment, but of history.” quote by Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/591/woodrow-wilson-534_american-patriotic_the-things-that-the-flag-stands-for-were_1736756.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/591/woodrow-wilson-534_american-patriotic_the-things-that-the-flag-stands-for-were_1736756.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/591/woodrow-wilson-534_american-patriotic_the-things-that-the-flag-stands-for-were_1736756.jpg) > “The things that the flag stands for were created by the experiences of a great people. Everything that it stands for was written by their lives. The flag is the embodiment, not of sentiment, but of history.” [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The flag embodies a nation's history and the lived experiences of its people, not just sentiment. **In simple terms:** Flag represents history, not just feelings. Key Takeaway Respect the flag as a historical symbol. Themes history nationalism symbolism Mood respectful thoughtful Type civic educational When to use this quote - public ceremonies - educational curricula Key Concepts collective memory civic identity Questions to Reflect On - How does history shape national symbols? - Can symbols change with society? A Different Perspective May ignore evolving meanings over time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Flag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flag/) [Flags](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flags/) [Great people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-people/) [Patriotic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotic/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sentiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentiments/) ## Related quotes > [The flag is the embodiment, not of sentiment, but of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/the-flag-is-the-embodiment-not-of-sentiment-but-of-history/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [My daughter, who goes to Stuyvesant High School only blocks from the World Trade Center, thinks we should fly an American flag out our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-pollitt/my-daughter-who-goes-to-stuyvesant-high-school-only-blocks-from-the/) [Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-pollitt/) > [Our flag is a proud flag, and it stands for liberty and civilization. Where it has once floated, there must be no return to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/our-flag-is-a-proud-flag-and-it-stands-for-liberty-and-civilization/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [The flag still stands for freedom and they can't take that away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/the-flag-still-stands-for-freedom-and-they-can-t-take-that-away/) [Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/) > [America is the only idealistic nation in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/america-is-the-only-idealistic-nation-in-the-world/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [Some Americans need hyphens in their names because only part of them has come over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/some-americans-need-hyphens-in-their-names-because-only-part-of-them/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [Some Americans need hyphens in their names, because only part of them has come over; but when the whole man has come over, heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/some-americans-need-hyphens-in-their-names-because-only-part-of-them-2/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/the-american-by-nature-is-optimistic-he-is-experimental-an-inventor/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [When I die, I desire no better winding sheet than the Stars and Stripes, and no softer pillow than the Constitution of my country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-johnson/when-i-die-i-desire-no-better-winding-sheet-than-the-stars-and/) [Andrew Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-johnson/) > [We live in a new and exceptional age. America is another word for Opportunity. Our whole history appears like a last effort of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-live-in-a-new-and-exceptional-age-america-is-another-word-for/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [As a loyal American and I think a patriotic American, no, I don't want Sarah Palin to be president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/as-a-loyal-american-and-i-think-a-patriotic-american-no-i-don-t-want/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [When an American says that he loves his country, he means not only that he loves the New England hills, the prairies glistening in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adlai-e-stevenson/when-an-american-says-that-he-loves-his-country-he-means-not-only/) [Adlai E. Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adlai-e-stevenson/) > [Our citizenship in the United States is our national character. Our citizenship in any particular state is only our local distinction. By the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/our-citizenship-in-the-united-states-is-our-national-character-our/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [The average American is nothing if not patriotic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-croly/the-average-american-is-nothing-if-not-patriotic/) [Herbert Croly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-croly/) > [Love your country. Your country is the land where your parents sleep, where is spoken that language in which the chosen of your heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-mazzini/love-your-country-your-country-is-the-land-where-your-parents-sleep/) [Giuseppe Mazzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-mazzini/) ## More by Woodrow Wilson > [If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/if-i-am-to-speak-ten-minutes-i-need-a-week-for-preparation-if-fifteen/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [There is here a great melting pot in which we must compound a precious metal. That metal is the metal of nationality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/there-is-here-a-great-melting-pot-in-which-we-must-compound-a/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [One cannot pay the price of self-respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/one-cannot-pay-the-price-of-self-respect/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [I would rather lose in a cause that will some day win, than win in a cause that will some day lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/i-would-rather-lose-in-a-cause-that-will-some-day-win-than-win-in-a/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [I have received delegations of working men who, apparently speaking with the utmost sincerity, have declared that they would regard it as a genuine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/i-have-received-delegations-of-working-men-who-apparently-speaking/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [Absolute identity with one's cause is the first and great condition of successful leadership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/absolute-identity-with-one-s-cause-is-the-first-and-great-condition/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [America cannot be an ostrich with its head in the sand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/america-cannot-be-an-ostrich-with-its-head-in-the-sand/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [...We are intensely proud of their noble record and are glad to have had the whole world see how irresistible they are in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/we-are-intensely-proud-of-their-noble-record-and-are-glad-to-have-had/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [ The facts of the case will always have the better of \[an\] argument. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/the-facts-of-the-case-will-always-have-the-better-of-an-argument/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [The greatest embarrassment of my political career has been that active duties seem to deprive me of time for careful investigation. I seem almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/the-greatest-embarrassment-of-my-political-career-has-been-that/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [Some Americans need hyphens in their names because only part of them has come over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/some-americans-need-hyphens-in-their-names-because-only-part-of-them/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [The history of liberty is the history of limitations on the power of government, not the increase of it. When we resist, therefore, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/the-history-of-liberty-is-the-history-of-limitations-on-the-power-of/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [When I think of the flag… I see alternate strips of parchment upon which are written the rights of liberty and justice, and stripes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/when-i-think-of-the-flag-i-see-alternate-strips-of-parchment-upon/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if an hour, I am ready now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/if-i-am-to-speak-ten-minutes-i-need-a-week-for-preparation-if-an-hour/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [Energy in a nation is like sap in a tree; it rises from bottom up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/energy-in-a-nation-is-like-sap-in-a-tree-it-rises-from-bottom-up/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) [Explore all 492 Woodrow Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) ## More American patriotic quotes > [Love your country. Your country is the land where your parents sleep, where is spoken that language in which the chosen of your heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-mazzini/love-your-country-your-country-is-the-land-where-your-parents-sleep/) [Giuseppe Mazzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-mazzini/) > [The average American is nothing if not patriotic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-croly/the-average-american-is-nothing-if-not-patriotic/) [Herbert Croly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-croly/) > [Our citizenship in the United States is our national character. Our citizenship in any particular state is only our local distinction. By the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/our-citizenship-in-the-united-states-is-our-national-character-our/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Some Americans need hyphens in their names because only part of them has come over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/some-americans-need-hyphens-in-their-names-because-only-part-of-them/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [When an American says that he loves his country, he means not only that he loves the New England hills, the prairies glistening in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adlai-e-stevenson/when-an-american-says-that-he-loves-his-country-he-means-not-only/) [Adlai E. Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adlai-e-stevenson/) > [As a loyal American and I think a patriotic American, no, I don't want Sarah Palin to be president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/as-a-loyal-american-and-i-think-a-patriotic-american-no-i-don-t-want/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [We live in a new and exceptional age. America is another word for Opportunity. Our whole history appears like a last effort of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-live-in-a-new-and-exceptional-age-america-is-another-word-for/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [When I die, I desire no better winding sheet than the Stars and Stripes, and no softer pillow than the Constitution of my country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-johnson/when-i-die-i-desire-no-better-winding-sheet-than-the-stars-and/) [Andrew Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-johnson/) > [The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/the-american-by-nature-is-optimistic-he-is-experimental-an-inventor/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Our great modern Republic. May those who seek the blessings of its institutions and the protection of its flag remember the obligations they impose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/our-great-modern-republic-may-those-who-seek-the-blessings-of-its/) [Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/) > [Don't you dare besmirch the name of Congress. They are patriotic Americans trying to dress and feed themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/don-t-you-dare-besmirch-the-name-of-congress-they-are-patriotic/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [Some Americans need hyphens in their names, because only part of them has come over; but when the whole man has come over, heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/some-americans-need-hyphens-in-their-names-because-only-part-of-them-2/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [You can be a patriotic American and be a critic, but then you're not expressing that kind of love that we're used to from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/you-can-be-a-patriotic-american-and-be-a-critic-but-then-you-re-not/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [We shall pay any price, bear any burden, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-shall-pay-any-price-bear-any-burden-to-assure-the-survival-and-the/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [We identify the flag with almost everything we hold dear on earth, peace, security, liberty, our family, our friends, our home. . .But when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/we-identify-the-flag-with-almost-everything-we-hold-dear-on-earth/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) Browse all 61 American patriotic quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The things that the flag stands for were created by the experiences of a great people. Everything that it stands for was written by their lives. 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