The America I know is great - not because government made it

Hear, O sons and daughters of liberty, and attend to the words of Mia Love, who declared: “The America I know is great — not because government made it great but because ordinary citizens like me, like my father and like you are given the opportunity every day to do extraordinary things.” In these words lives the heartbeat of a nation built not by decree but by dreamers, not by rulers but by workers, not by privilege but by opportunity. Mia Love, born to Haitian immigrants, spoke from the living truth of her own story — a testament that the strength of America lies not in the hands of its institutions alone, but in the courage and faith of its people.

The origin of this quote can be traced to Mia Love’s speeches as a congresswoman and daughter of immigrants, often delivered in times of great political division. Her words carried a message that transcended partisanship: that the greatness of a nation does not rise from government edicts, but from the freedom of its citizens to pursue excellence. Love’s own journey — from a child of immigrants with humble beginnings to the first Black Republican woman elected to the U.S. Congress — embodies her creed. She knew that what defines a country is not the wealth of its treasury, but the character of its people, and she spoke as one who had lived this truth.

Her declaration calls to mind the eternal contrast between power and possibility. Governments may build roads, enact laws, or defend borders, but they cannot create the spirit that builds dreams. That spirit is born in the hearts of ordinary men and women who rise early, labor faithfully, and believe that effort and virtue can lift them beyond circumstance. It is the spirit of self-reliance and faith in freedom — the same force that drove pioneers westward, entrepreneurs to innovate, and immigrants to cross oceans seeking nothing but the chance to work and hope.

Consider the story of Andrew Carnegie, a poor Scottish boy who arrived in America with nothing and rose to become one of the greatest industrialists and philanthropists in history. Carnegie did not inherit power; he earned it through grit and vision. His libraries, schools, and charitable works transformed generations — not by command of government, but through the voluntary power of opportunity. Mia Love’s words breathe the same faith: that when freedom meets determination, the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and from humble beginnings, nations find their greatness.

Her statement also carries a subtle warning. For when people forget that their strength lies in their own initiative, they risk surrendering their freedom to dependence. A government that grows too mighty, that promises too much, can smother the very spirit it seeks to serve. Love reminds us that liberty is not a gift from government; it is the inheritance of the people. When citizens cease to create, to dream, and to strive, the nation itself begins to wither.

Yet, her tone is not one of reproach but of reverence and renewal. She calls upon all who hear to remember that greatness is not a relic of the past but a living potential renewed each day by our choices. Every act of kindness, every innovation, every stand for truth adds another stone to the foundation of freedom. The true monument to a nation’s greatness is not carved in marble but lived out in the lives of its people — in the teachers who uplift, the builders who create, the families who endure.

The lesson, therefore, is timeless: do not wait for greatness to be granted—build it. Believe that your effort matters, that your integrity shapes the destiny of your land. Governments may guide, but only citizens can transform. The true strength of any nation is the courage of its people to live as free, responsible, and creative souls.

So let Mia Love’s words stand as both celebration and charge: that the greatness of America—or of any free nation—rests not in power, but in possibility; not in policy, but in people. Let every generation remember that the hands that build the future are not those of kings or presidents, but of ordinary men and women who dare to do extraordinary things.