In every American there is an air of incorrigible1 innocence2, which seems to conceal3 a diabolical4 cunning.
A. E. Housman (1859 - 1936)
Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated5 thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves.
Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
The people reign6 over the American political world as God rules over the universe. It is the cause and the end of all things; everything rises out of it and is absorbed back into it.
Alexis De Tocqueville (1805 - 1859), Democracy in America, 1835
Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.
Dan Rather (1931 - )
I was born an American; I will live an American; I shall die an American.
Daniel Webster (1782 - 1852)
How much longer are we going to think it necessary to be ''American'' before (or in contradistinction to) being cultivated, being enlightened, being humane7, and having the same intellectual discipline as other civilized8 countries?
Edith Wharton (1862 - 1937)
I sometimes think that the saving grace of America lies in the fact that the overwhelming majority of Americans are possessed9 of two great qualities- a sense of humor and a sense of proportion.
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882 - 1945)
Americans never quit.
General Douglas Macarthur (1880 - 1964)
Americans adore me and will go on adoring me until I say something nice about them.
George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)
Americans are overreachers; overreaching is the most admirable of the many American excesses.
George F. Will (1941 - ), Statecraft as Soulcraft
Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half.
Gore10 Vidal (1925 - )
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.
H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)
The character inherent in the American people has done all that has been accomplished11; and it would have done somewhat more, if the government had not sometimes got in its way.
Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)
It is, I think, an indisputable fact that Americans are, as Americans, the most self- conscious people in the world, and the most addicted12 to the belief that the other nations are in a conspiracy13 to under-value them.
Henry James (1843 - 1916)
Americans are benevolently14 ignorant about Canada, while Canadians are malevolently15 well informed about the United States.
J. Bartlett Brebner
George Washington had a vision for this country. Was it three days of uninterrupted shopping?
Jeff Melvoin, Northern Exposure, Bolt from the Blue, 1994
The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly.
John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963)
This nation was founded by many men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.
John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963), Radio and television report to the American people in civil rights, June 11, 1963
Ninety-eight percent of the adults in this country are decent, hard-working, honest Americans. It's the other lousy two percent that get all the publicity16. But then--we elected them.
Lily Tomlin (1939 - )
Sitting at the table doesn't make you a diner, unless you eat some of what's on that plate. Being here in America doesn't make you an American. Being born here in America doesn't make you an American.
Malcolm X (1925 - 1965), Malcolm X Speaks, 1965
An Englishman is a person who does things because they have been done before. An American is a person who does things because they haven't been done before.
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)
The people of the United States, perhaps more than any other nation in history, love to abase17 themselves and proclaim their unworthiness, and seem to find refreshment18 in doing so... That is a dark frivolity19, but still frivolity.
Robertson Davies
For the American people are a very generous people and will forgive almost any weakness, with the possible exception of stupidity.
Will Rogers (1879 - 1935), The Illiterate Digest, 1924
1、incorrigible [in'kɔridʒəbəl]
adj.难以纠正的，屡教不改的
参考例句：
Because he was an incorrigible criminal,he was sentenced to life imprisonment.他是一个死不悔改的罪犯，因此被判终生监禁。
Gamblers are incorrigible optimists.嗜赌的人是死不悔改的乐天派。
2、innocence ['inəsns]
n.无罪；天真；无害
参考例句：
There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。
3、conceal [kən'si:l]
v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽
参考例句：
He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。
