Famous quotes containing the words american people, north american, north, american and/or people:
“The truth is, I do not want that office. When the American people choose a President they require him to remain awake four years. I have come to a time in life when I need my sleep.”
—Grover Cleveland (1837–1908)
“The compulsion to do good is an innate American trait. Only North Americans seem to believe that they always should, may, and actually can choose somebody with whom to share their blessings. Ultimately this attitude leads to bombing people into the acceptance of gifts.”
—Ivan Illich (b. 1926)
“Let north and south—let all Americans—let all lovers of liberty everywhere—join in the great and good work. If we do this, we shall not only have saved the Union; but we shall have so saved it, as to make, and to keep it, forever worthy of the saving. We shall have so saved it, that the succeeding millions of free happy people, the world over, shall rise up, and call us blessed, to the latest generations.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
“How does it become a man to behave toward this American government to-day? I answer, that he cannot without disgrace be associated with it. I cannot for an instant recognize that political organization as my government which is the slave’s government also.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The truth is that every intelligent man, as you well know, dreams of being a gangster and ruling over society through violence alone. Since this is not as easy as the novels would have us believe, people generally resort to politics and join the cruelest party.”
—Albert Camus (1913–1960)