The U.S. passed from barbarism to decadence, without having passed through civilization.

— Unknown Source

The United States was founded by the brightest people in the country — and we haven’t seen them since.

— Gore Vidal, U.S. writer and political pundit, 1925-2012

You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.

— Winston Churchill, British politician who served twice as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1874-1965

The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.

— Alexis de Tocqueville, French diplomat, political scientist, and historian, 1805-1809

America is . . . the great Melting-Pot where all the races of Europe are melting and reforming! The Real American has not yet arrived . . . I tell you – he will be the fusion of all races, the common superman.

— Israel Zangwill, British author at the forefront of cultural Zionism during the 19th century, 1864-1926

Washington D.C. is a place where men praise courage and act on elaborate personal cost-benefit calculations.

— John Kenneth Galbraith, U.S. Canadian-born economist, public official, diplomat, and a leading proponent of 20th-century American liberalism, 1908-2006

The U.S.’s national flower is the concrete cloverleaf.

— Lewis Mumford, U.S. historian, literary critic, sociologist, and philosopher of technology, noted for his study of cities and urban architecture, 1895-1990

America had often been discovered before Columbus, but it had always been hushed up.

— Oscar Wilde, Irish poet and playwright, 1854-1900

Americans are like a rich father who wishes he knew how to give his son the hardships that made him rich.

— Robert Frost, U.S. poet who received four Pulitzer prizes and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his poetic works, 1874-1963

You can always get the truth from an American statesman after he has turned 70, or given up all hope of the Presidency.

— Wendell Phillips, U.S. abolitionist, advocate for Native Americans, and attorney, 1811-1884

America – the best poor man’s country in the world.

— William Allen White, newspaper editor, politician, author, and leader of the Progressive movement, 1868-1944
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