QuoteProject
What are the symbols of American strength, wealth, power and modernity? Certainly not jazz and rock and roll, not chewing-gum or hamburgers, Broadway or Hollywood. It's their skyscrapers. Their Pentagon. Their science. Their technology.
Oriana Fallaci
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote highlights symbols of American power and modernity, emphasizing architecture and technology over cultural elements.

Oriana Fallaci's quote critiques the perceptions of American strength and modernity by listing symbols that represent the country's power. Rather than traditional cultural elements like music and food, she points to physical manifestations such as skyscrapers, military structures, and advancements in science and technology, suggesting these are the true icons of American identity and influence.

Themes

AmericaSymbolsStrengthModernityArchitectureTechnology

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about American identity, one might refer to this quote to emphasize the importance of innovation and infrastructure.

More from Oriana Fallaci

I leave shreds of my soul on every experience.
Oriana FallaciRead
I know ours is a world made by men for men, their dictatorship is so ancient it even extends to language.
Oriana FallaciRead
A lot of women ask themselves why they should bring a child into the world? So that it will be hungry, so that it will be cold, so that it will be betrayed and humiliated, so that it will be slaughtered by war or disease? They reject the hope that its hunger will be satisfied, its cold warmed, that loyalty and respect will accompany it through life, that it will be a devote a life to the effort to eliminate war and disease.
Oriana FallaciRead
You cannot govern, you cannot administrate, with an ignoramus.
Oriana FallaciRead
I am known for a life spent in the struggle for freedom, and freedom includes the freedom of religion.
Oriana FallaciRead
I'm going to show you the real New York - witty, smart, and international - like any metropolis. Tell me this: where in Europe can you find old Hungary, old Russia, old France, old Italy? In Europe you're trying to copy America, you're almost American. But here you'll find Europeans who immigrated a hundred years ago - and we haven't spoiled them. Oh, Gio! You must see why I love New York. Because the whole world's in New York.
Oriana FallaciRead

Similar quotes

If you read a lot of Chinese literature, there has always been very strong women figures - warriors, swordswomen - who defended honor and loyalty with the men. So, it's not new to our culture - it's always been very much a part of it. It's good that now the Western audience would have a different image of the Chinese women.
Michelle YeohRead
I often look ridiculous in Japan. There's really no way to eat in Japan, particularly kaiseki in a traditional ryokan, without offending the Japanese horribly. Every gesture, every movement is just so atrociously wrong, and the more I try, the more hilarious it is.
Anthony BourdainRead
I wear the national dress because it is the most natural and the most becoming for an Indian.
Mahatma GandhiRead
Celebrity life and media culture are probably the most overbearing pop-cultural conditions that we as young people have to deal with, because it forces us to judge ourselves.
Lady GagaRead
We know so much about the European food story, and we're getting to know about the American food story; but we know so little about the African food story.
Marcus SamuelssonRead
Pop culture has entered into a nostalgic malaise. Online culture is dominated by trivial mashups of the culture that existed before the onset of mashups, and by fandom responding to the dwindling outposts of centralized mass media. It is a culture of reaction without action.
Jaron LanierRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.