American Life Quotes - Page 9

• I hate going to bed. I read scripts, clean, listen to the radio - I've fallen asleep to 'This American Life' more times than I can count!

  Zoe Kazan

  Hate, Bed, Radio

  "Need to Meet: Zoe Kazan". Interview with Thelma Adams, www.marieclaire.com. February 11, 2010.

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• When American life is most American it is apt to be most theatrical.

  Ralph Ellison

  Life Is, Theatrical

  Ralph Ellison (2011). “Shadow and Act”, p.53, Vintage

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• And every historic effort to forge a democratic project has been undermined by two fundamental realities: poverty and paranoia. The persistence of poverty generates levels of despair that deepen social conflict the escalation of paranoia produces levels of distrust that reinforce cultural division. Rae is the most explosive issue in American life precisely because it forces us to confront the tragic facts of poverty and paranoia despair, and distrust. In short, a candid examination of race matters takes us to the core of the crisis of American democracy (p. 107).

  Cornel West

  Reality, Persistence, Two

  Cornel West (2017). “Race Matters: With a New Introduction”, p.107, Beacon Press

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• Race has no place in American life or law.

  John F. Kennedy

  Race, Law

  Civil Rights Address, delivered 11 June 1963

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• Now I would say at any given moment in American life, there are probably 45 poets in airplanes vectoring across the country heading towards...I don't know if anyone's reading it, but poets are still flying around the country going from lectern to lectern.That circuitry has become very well-established.

  Billy Collins

  Country, Reading, Airplane

  "Poet Billy Collins discusses humor, authenticity and ‘Aimless Love’". "PBS Newshour", www.pbs.org. October 29, 2013.

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• The English Language Amendment says above all, 'Let's see to it that our children, our young people, learn English. Let us not deny them the opportunity to participate in American life, so that they can go as far as their dreams and talents can take them.

  S. I. Hayakawa

  Dream, Children, Opportunity

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• I believe we are being dishonest with language minority groups if we tell them they can take full part in American life without learning the English language.

  S. I. Hayakawa

  Believe, Groups, Minorities

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• Our new immigrants must be part of our one America. After all, they're revitalizing our cities, they're energizing our culture, they're building up our economy. We have a responsibility to make them welcome here, and they have a responsibility to enter the mainstream of American life. That means learning English and learning about our democratic system of government. There are now long waiting lines of immigrants that are trying to do just that. Therefore, our budget significantly expands our efforts to help them meet their responsibility. I hope you will support it.

  William J. Clinton

  Mean, Responsibility, Government

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• Illiberal left ideology has its greatest strength on campuses because campuses are one of the few places in American life where a certain kind of far-left politics can actually impose hegemony on other ideas and really control the discourse in a way it can't in most places in American life where even moderate liberals are more of a minority.

  Jonathan Chait

  Ideas, Hegemony, Minorities

  Source: www.npr.org

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• American life is builded ... upon that fundamental philosophy announced by the Savior nineteen centuries ago ... [It] can not survive with the defense of Cain, "Am I my brother's keeper?

  Herbert Hoover

  Brother, Philosophy, Fundamentals

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• Though the two issues may seem utterly unrelated, they do have this in common - both health care and higher education are realms of American life in which government has undermined the operation of market forces and caused artificially high prices. These are two arenas in which the Democrats now propose to do exactly the wrong thing. Their reform reinforces old errors and will infinitely compound the problem of rising prices.

  Mona Charen

  Rising Prices, Two, Issues

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