These moving patriotic quotes will fill you with American pride
48 Patriotic Quotes That Honor the United States of America
Updated on Jan. 28, 2025
Patriotic quotes about America
1. “Where liberty dwells, there is my country.” —Benjamin Franklin
2. “America. It is the only place where miracles not only happen, but where they happen all the time.” —Thomas Wolfe
3. “It’s important that we establish that we are a country that has open arms and not closed borders for people. It’s important because we let people know why America is what it is. It’s about an ideal, and that ideal is freedom for everybody.” —Oprah Winfrey
4. “I am an American; free born and free bred, where I acknowledge no man as my superior, except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit.” —Theodore Roosevelt
5. “The essence of America—that which really unites us—is not ethnicity, or nationality or religion—it is an idea—and what an idea it is: That you can come from humble circumstances and do great things.” —Condoleezza Rice
6. “America is a tune. It must be sung together.” —Gerald Stanley Lee
7. “Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.” —John McCain
8. “In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.” —Barack Obama
9. “The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful and virtuous.” —Frederick Douglass
10. “There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America.” —Bill Clinton
11. “The fate of America cannot depend on any one man. The greatness of America is grounded in principles and not on any single personality.” —Franklin Roosevelt
12. “I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” —James Baldwin
13. Yet America is a poem in our eyes; its ample geography dazzles the imagination, and it will not wait long for metres.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
14. “May the sun in his course visit no land more free, more happy, more lovely, than this our own Country!” —Daniel Webster
15. “The fact is, with every friendship you make and every bond of trust you establish, you are shaping the image of America projected to the rest of the world.” —Michelle Obama
16. “Change often seems impossible until it is inevitable. Just as we must own our lives, we must own our country. For we, the people, are ultimately in control of America’s story.” —Valerie Jarrett
Patriotic quotes about freedom
17. “Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better.” —Albert Camus
18. “One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, One Nation evermore!” —Oliver Wendell Holmes
19. “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.” —Douglas MacArthur
20. “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.” —Thomas Paine
21. “May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.” —Peter Marshall
22. “Independence now and Independence forever!” —Daniel Webster
23. “Freedom is never granted; it is won.” —A. Philip Randolph
24. “Freedom is the open window through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit and human dignity.” —Herbert Hoover
25. “I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom.” —Bob Dylan
26. “I say to you that our goal is freedom, and I believe we are going to get there because however much she strays away from it, the goal of America is freedom.” —Martin Luther King Jr.
27. “This [nation] will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” —Elmer Davis
28. “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” —George Orwell
29. “You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.” —Malcolm X
30. “Freedom lies in being bold.” —Robert Frost
31. “We’re blessed with the opportunity to stand for something—for liberty and freedom and fairness. And these are things worth fighting for, worth devoting our lives to.” —Ronald Reagan
32. “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” —John F. Kennedy
33. “This is your democracy—make it—protect it—pass it on. You are ready. Go to it.” —Thurgood Marshall
34. “Our American flag is more than cloth and ink. It is a universally recognized symbol that stands for liberty and freedom. It is the history of our nation, marked by the blood of those who died defending it.” —John Thune
35. “We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it.” —William Faulkner
36. “Freedom and democracy are dreams you never give up.” —Aung San Suu Kyi
Patriotic quotes about patriotism
37. “Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” —Adlai Stevenson II
38. “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” —John F. Kennedy
39. “In the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can change it.” —Barack Obama
40. “Heroism doesn’t always happen in a burst of glory. Sometimes small triumphs and large hearts change the course of history.” —Mary Roach
41. “What I can do for my country, I am willing to do.” —Christopher Gadsden
42. “Duty, honor, country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.” —Douglas MacArthur
43. “Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.” —Charles de Gaulle
44. “True patriotism springs from a belief in the dignity of the individual, freedom and equality not only for Americans but for all people on earth.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
45. “National pride is to countries what self-respect is to individuals: a necessary condition for self-improvement.” —Richard Rorty
46. “A man’s country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers and woods, but it is a principle, and patriotism is loyalty to that principle.” —George William Curtis
47. “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” —Nathan Hale
48. “Patriotism is like charity—it begins at home.” —Henry James
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’ve been sharing our favorite quotes for over 100 years. The sayings and quips that appear in the magazine’s “Quotable Quotes” (formerly “Remarkable Remarks”) are curated from interviews and essays originally published in the magazine, reprints from trusted titles and other verified sources. For this piece, Meghan Jones tapped her experiences as a lifestyle editor for Reader’s Digest to ensure that all information is accurate. We’ve gone the extra step and had Ambrose Martose, a fact-checker with 20-plus years of experience researching for national publications including National Geographic Adventure and Popular Mechanics, verify that all quotes are attributed correctly and have credible sourcing. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
