The American Dream is an ideal that many people around the world aspire to. It is the belief that you can achieve success no matter who you are, where you were born, or in what conditions you grew up. It is the right to pursue happiness and achieve it through hard work, risk-taking, and sacrifice. As you might expect, there are a ton of great quotes about the American Dream that can inspire you to work hard and achieve your goals.
In this article, I have collected 21 of my favorite quotes about the American Dream. I find those words extremely motivating, and hopefully, so will you. If you are feeling uninspired or down on your luck, these quotes will help you find the strength you need to move on.
21 Motivational Quotes About the American Dream
Inspirational Quotes About the American Dream
1. “I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American Dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
2. “To me, the American Dream is being able to follow your own personal calling. To be able to do what you want to do is incredible freedom.” — Maya Lin
3. “What is the American dream? The American dream is one big tent. One big tent. And on that big tent, you have four basic promises: equal protection under the law, equal opportunity, equal access, and fair share.” — Jesse Jackson
4. “The promise of the American Dream requires that we are all provided an equal opportunity to participate in and contribute to our nation.” — Charles B. Rangel
5. “America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.” — Harry S. Truman
6. “I am the epitome of what the American Dream basically said. It said you could come from anywhere and be anything you want in this country.” — Whoopi Goldberg
7. “When it comes to the American dream, no one has a corner on the market. All of us have an equal chance to share in that dream.” — J. C. Watts
8. “The American Dream belongs to all of us.” — Kamala Harris
9. “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” — Colin Powell
10. “We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” — Jesse Owens
11. “Our workforce and our entire economy are strongest when we embrace diversity to its fullest, and that means opening doors of opportunity to everyone and recognizing that the American Dream excludes no one.” — Thomas Perez
12. “In the end, the American dream is not a sprint or even a marathon, but a relay. Our families don’t always cross the finish line in the span of one generation. But each generation passes on to the next the fruits of their labor.” — Julian Castro
American Dream Quotes About Starting from the Bottom
13. “If America had a motto, it would be to pull yourself up by the bootstraps, work harder than the next guy, have a goal and achieve it.” — John Lee Hancock
14. “Only in America can someone start with nothing and achieve the American Dream. That’s the greatness of this country.” — Rafael Cruz
15. “The American Dream is that any man or woman, despite his or her background, can change their circumstances and rise as high as they are willing to work.” — Fabrizio Moreira
16. “So, then, to every man his chance — to every man, regardless of his birth, his shining, golden opportunity — to every man the right to live, to work, to be himself, and to become whatever thing his manhood and his vision can combine to make him — this, seeker, is the promise of America.” — Thomas Wolfe
17. “If you have the ability to pick yourself up by the bootstraps and start over, you come out stronger because you learn from whatever mistakes you made.” — Abby Lee Miller
18. “I think the American Dream says that anything can happen if you work hard enough at it and are persistent, and have some ability. The sky’s the limit to what you can build and what can happen to you and your family.” — Sanford I. Weill
19. “The faith that anyone could move from rags to riches — with enough guts and gumption, hard work and nose to the grindstone — was once at the core of the American Dream.” — Robert Reich
20. “I was a poor kid. I came from nothing. We didn’t have any money; a lot of times we didn’t have any food, and now, all of a sudden, I’m a superhero in a Marvel movie? Talk about the American dream, man — I’m living it.” — Dave Bautista
21. “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. [It is not] … a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” — James Truslow Adams
Know of Any Other Glorious Quotes About the American Dream
Everyone can use some motivation, especially in these uncertain times. I hope you liked my collection of 21 quotes about the American Dream.
Indeed, a lot of people have spoken on the topic over the years, since the American Dream has become a staple in modern culture even outside the US. Whenever you start doubting yourself, come back to those words and get inspired.
