The American Dream is the idea of achieving success in the United States through hard work, determination, and merit.
In recent decades, studies have found that many individuals are unable to achieve the American Dream. This has led to a shift in vernacular as people have started to define themselves by their social class rather than their earning potential.
In many aspects, lower-income Americans struggle with different issues that prevent them from living the American dream. The key issues affecting lower-income Americans are unemployment and underemployment, and lack of education and resources.
Here are some inspirational American dream quotes that will start changing your perspective on success and show you how to achieve your version of success by following your dreams.
30 American Dream Quotes That Will Inspire You
1. “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
2. “We represent a hustler. I think we represent inspiration. I think we represent, you know, staying down. I think we represent building yourself up from the bootstraps.” ― Nipsey Hussle
3. “I live in the suburbs, the final battleground of the American dream, where people get married and have kids and try to scratch out a happy life for themselves.” ― Harlan Coben
4. “For me, the essence of the great American Dream is spiritual. I believe that our Constitution is inspired and that it is based on principles that are timeless and universal. This is the reason why 95% of all written constitutions throughout the world are modeled after our Constitution.” ― Stephen Covey
5. “The road to success is not easy to navigate, but with hard work, drive and passion, it’s possible to achieve the American dream.” ― Tommy Hilfiger
6. “It’s called the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.” ― George Carlin
7. “Seeking the invisible through the imagery of the visible, the Americans never can get quite all the way to the end of the American dream.” ― Lewis H. Lapham
8. “I am the American Dream. 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. That’s exactly what I’ve done.” ― Whoopi Goldberg
9. “American Dreams are strongest in the hearts of those who have seen America only in their dreams.” ― Pico Iyer
10. “The American dream has always been about chasing opportunity and pursuing a brighter future for ourselves and our children.” ― Jay Inslee
11. “I define the American dream as the ability to imagine a way that you want your life to turn out, and have a reasonable hope that you can achieve that.” ― David Henry Hwang
12. “I’ve been living the American Dream for over 25 years – just being able to do what I do, be creative, and make money out of it. It’s incredible.” ― Dr. Dre
13. “If wealth was the inevitable result of hard work and enterprise, every woman in Africa would be a millionaire.” ― George Monbiot
14. “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
15. “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
16. “My own American Dream was to serve my country as best I could and make a difference in America – and in the world.” ― Buzz Aldrin
17. “I’m in a weird band. We’ve done very well. The American Dream is alive and well.” ― Gene Simmons
18. “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
19. “To realize the American Dream, the most important thing to understand is that it belongs to everybody. It’s a human dream. If you understand this and work very hard, it is possible.” ― Cristina Saralegui
20. “I don’t want people who are in poverty, in pain, or suffering, to suffer because it’s for their own good and they can pull themselves up by their bootstraps. I want to help them. I want us all to help them.” ― Penn Jillette
21. “The American Dream is that any man or woman, despite of his or her background, can change their circumstances and rise as high as they are willing to work.” ― Fabrizio Moreira
22. “The American Dream is one of success, home ownership, college education for one’s children, and have a secure job to provide these and other goals.” ― Leonard Boswell
23. “Everyone must have a shot at the American Dream.” ― Howard Schultz
24. “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.” ― Colin Powell
25. “If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.” ― Samuel Johnson
26. “If you set goals and go after them with all the determination you can muster, your gifts will take you places that will amaze you.” ― Les Brown
27. “We need to forge a whole new energy and American Dream.” ― Will.i.am
28. “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
29. “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
30. “Americans need a fresh reminder of the amazing nation they have and the power of liberties I see so often taken for granted.” ― Ali Master
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