Look folks, we know who built this country and we know who is

The words of Joe Biden, “Look folks, we know who built this country and we know who is going to rebuild it. It’s you. Instead of vilifying you, we should be thanking you. We owe you,” strike with the weight of ancient gratitude and the acknowledgment of toil. In them, there is a recognition that nations are not built by kings alone, nor by generals, nor by statesmen, but by the countless hands of common people whose sweat and labor lay the true foundations of civilization. These words echo the wisdom of old: the greatness of a land is not measured by its rulers, but by the strength and sacrifice of its people.

To say “we owe you” is to overturn the arrogance of power and remind us that the debt of leaders is not owed to themselves but to those who lift the stones, till the soil, forge the iron, and care for the families that make up the life of a nation. This teaching is as ancient as the Roman Republic, where Cicero declared that the glory of Rome rested not only upon the senators, but upon the legionaries who defended it and the farmers who fed it. So too does Biden’s voice remind us that the true builders and rebuilders of any nation are the workers, the dreamers, the ordinary yet extraordinary people who give flesh to its bones.

History itself offers us many examples. In the United States, the railroads of the nineteenth century were hailed as a marvel that connected coast to coast. But beneath that marvel lay the untold labor of thousands of immigrant workers — the Chinese laborers who cut through mountains, the Irish workers who laid track across endless plains, enduring hunger, sickness, and death. The glory of the railroads was built upon their hands, though history often overlooked them. Biden’s words strike at this truth: those who built and will rebuild a nation are not the exalted few, but the steadfast many.

The heart of his statement lies also in gratitude. “Instead of vilifying you, we should be thanking you.” These words acknowledge how often those who labor most are forgotten or dismissed, even treated with disdain. The ancients warned of this blindness: the Egyptian pharaohs built monuments to themselves, yet it was the nameless thousands of workers who carried the stones under the burning sun. True wisdom remembers to give thanks to the hidden multitude. Biden’s declaration seeks to restore honor where it is due — to those whose daily struggle sustains the nation even when their names are not sung.

And yet his words are not only remembrance, but also prophecy: “we know who is going to rebuild it.” Every nation faces times of trial, collapse, or renewal. In those moments, it is again the people — the teachers who shape the next generation, the nurses who heal, the builders who raise homes, the innovators who craft new paths — who will raise the land from its knees. The ancients saw this too. After the fall of Rome, it was not emperors but monks, farmers, and craftsmen who preserved knowledge, rebuilt communities, and laid the seeds of new nations. The torch of renewal always rests in the hands of the many.

The lesson for us is profound: never despise the common, for in the common lies the heroic. Do not look only to leaders for salvation, for they cannot raise a nation without the strength of its people. If you are one who labors — in field, in factory, in classroom, in home — know that you are the builder and rebuilder. If you are one who leads, remember that your glory rests upon those who serve with unseen strength. Gratitude is the foundation of justice, and without it, no nation can endure.

As practical action, begin with recognition. Thank those who labor around you, whose contributions make your life possible: the workers, the caregivers, the unseen hands. Offer respect where it has long been denied. And in your own labor, see yourself not as insignificant, but as a living stone in the temple of your people’s future. Work faithfully, live with dignity, and know that history is not shaped by the exalted few, but by the faithful many.

Thus, Joe Biden’s words join the chorus of the ancients: we know who built this country, and we know who will rebuild it. It is the people. It is you. To them belongs honor, to them belongs gratitude, and to them belongs the future. And if gratitude becomes the law of our hearts, then no trial, no ruin, no darkness will prevent the rebuilding of a brighter tomorrow.