Henry James Quotes

Anti-Americanism from abroad would not be such a problem if Americans were united in standing up for their own country.

America wants its respect.

The world wants to like America.

I think it is important to help our country's image outside of Spain.

It's not enough to say that the Olympics is an athletic contest outside of politics, because it's not. The Chinese clearly are using the Olympics to recreate how they are viewed in the world and how they view themselves.

America had one idea attached to its brand. We presented ourselves as the world's last superpower. And that was the world's worst branding idea.

It is easier to hate an enemy with much good in him than one who is all bad. We cannot hate those we despise. The Japanese had an advantage over us in that they admired us more than we admired them. They could hate us more fervently than we could hate them. The Americans are poor haters in international affairs because of their innate feeling of superiority over all foreigners. An American's hatred for a fellow American (for Hoover or Roosevelt) is far more virulent than any antipathy he can work up against foreigners. It is of interest that the backward South shows more xenophobia than the rest of the country. Should Americans begin to hate foreigners wholeheartedly, it will be an indication that they have lost confidence in their own way of life.

We are a nation with a powerful investment in the idea of our own fundamental innocence. Our can-do optimism and ingenuity are based on the faith that we are a decent, open, and generous people. This is our identity.

America has long stood before the world as an exceptional country.

Most Americans are exceptionalists; we think we live outside of history.

Why do Canadians sell themselves short? I've never been able to answer that question.

I've always had a complex relationship towards my identity as an American.

Why do people like America? They say, well, you have the largest military in the world. Because you have more people, et cetera. They like America for what we stand for. And one of the things, and I feel proud to be, what this president's for, the last seven years, is we have once again aligned our basic fundamental beliefs and principles with our conduct. And it matters. It matters in terms of our security. It matters in terms of our ability to influence the world. It matters in our ability to succeed.

The British are special. The world knows it. In our innermost thoughts we know it. This is the greatest nation on earth.

I can never suppose this country so far lost to all ideas of self-importance as to be willing to grant America independence; if that could ever be adopted I shall despair of this country being ever preserved from a state of inferiority and consequently falling into a very low class among the European States.

I think there is an American attitude that is very hard to break which is "We're great. Who wouldn't want to be like us? Who wouldn't want to have the benefits of our largesse, handing out aid and having American companies based in their countries?" and "our culture is great," and all that. It's hard for us to imagine ourselves as not being the greatest country on earth.

People are tired of the humiliation that they don't want to be perceived as weak within the international community. And they are, therefore, actually quite grateful to President Putin for reinstating some sense of national pride.

Thinking that other people might be better than you is what makes you Canadian, not American.

America has a history of political isolation and economic self-sufficiency; its citizens have tended to regard the rest of the world as a disaster area from which lucky or pushy people emigrate to the Promised Land.

All nations have present, or past, or future reasons for thinking themselves incomparable.

America is greatest country; but not our government.

When did America forget that it's America?

America is a great story and there is a river on every page of it.

I believe in - I am proud to belong to - the United States.

A lot of liberals don't believe in American exceptionalism, but it doesn't mean they don't love America.