Quotes About Citizenship

I very much consider myself British.

Under our Constitution, if you're a bad citizen, you're still a citizen; that's the way we roll.

I don't judge people based on their religion. But I judge them based on how they respect the French constitution.

I'm an American. I have constitutional rights.

When you live in a place, you're not just taking from it, you're contributing to it. In America I would never be able to make myself a person who could contribute. I wasn't interested in that society; I was interested in this society.

I'm convinced democracy will grow from the ground up, from the community.

The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy.

If people want to take the time to vote, they should be able to, and their vote should be counted.

People don't wake up to go to vote and then have their ballot not counted.

I don't know a country in the world that doesn't have borders and doesn't want to know who is coming into their country.

I think citizenship should count for something... and it really counts for nothing.

The reason that I decided to get into politics is because I have begged, pleaded, and cried for years for our government to listen to us and they haven't.

In general, I agree with Socrates that what democracies badly need is the examined life, and we need to think critically about ourselves.

You have to support the government, not to me personally; I do not want anyone cultivating loyalty to me. I don't like that.

Political systems are run by self-selecting politicians. We don't draft people; it's not jury duty.

Sitting at the table doesn't make you a diner. You must be eating 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.

We have this attitude in America of, 'Someone else is going to fix the problem.' That's what the majority of Americans have. Or, 'I'm just going to go online and sign this petition, and that will take care of it.' That's doesn't do it.

When it comes to fighting for citizenship that many people take for granted, there isn't anyone I would not talk to. When it comes to immigration, there isn't any question I will not answer.

Americans, like many citizens of rich countries, take for granted the legal and regulatory system, the public schools, health care and social security for the elderly, roads, defense and diplomacy, and heavy investments by the state in research, particularly in medicine.

Our democracy is not something to be taken for granted. You have to fight for it. You have to commit yourself to working for it - for the long haul.

Claudia Rankine's book-length poem 'Citizen' was nominated for National Book Critics Circle awards in the categories of poetry and criticism. It is one of the most devastating takes on American culture I have read in a long time, laying bare the stakes of being black in a country long ambivalent about our presence here.

Everyone has to do their part, too. No one is disconnected. And everyone has to improve their skills, take care of their own health to the extent they can and contribute their time and talents to the community and country.

Citizen activists look in the mirror, see what they're really good at and then apply their talents to solving social problems. It's skills-based volunteering.

We must always remember that America is a great nation today not because of what government did for people but because of what people did for themselves and for one another.