We're going to be OK because of the American people. They have

The words of Joe Biden — “We’re going to be OK because of the American people. They have more grit, determination and courage than you can imagine.” — are spoken not as mere reassurance, but as an invocation of the enduring spirit of a nation. In these lines, he places his faith not in institutions, not in wealth, not in government alone, but in the character of the people themselves — the unbreakable will that beats in the heart of ordinary men and women. Biden’s words are a hymn to resilience, a recognition that nations rise or fall not by chance or fate, but by the strength of those who refuse to surrender. He speaks as one who has known sorrow and still believes in hope — one who has looked into the storm and seen light shining through the human heart.

To understand this quote is to understand Biden’s life and the history of the nation he leads. Joe Biden has long been a man acquainted with hardship — loss, grief, and trial. From the tragedies of his own family to the challenges of leading through moments of national crisis, he has seen the depths of despair and the power of renewal. When he says, “We’re going to be OK,” it is not the blind optimism of comfort, but the seasoned conviction of experience. He has learned, as America has learned, that survival is not built on ease but on endurance. The grit, determination, and courage he speaks of are not abstract virtues; they are the ancient virtues of the human soul, tested in fire and proven by action.

These words were spoken in a time of uncertainty — a nation divided, weary from conflict and loss, struggling under the weight of pandemic and polarization. Yet Biden, drawing upon his long years of service and reflection, turned his gaze not toward despair but toward faith in the people themselves. He believed, as the ancients did, that the true power of any nation lies not in its rulers or armies, but in the steadfastness of its citizens. In this, he echoes the wisdom of the past — the belief that the strength of a people is measured by their courage to hope, their endurance to rebuild, and their faith to begin again when all seems lost.

History is filled with moments that prove the truth of his words. During the Great Depression, when hunger and poverty swept across the land, it was not wealth or privilege that sustained America, but the quiet courage of its working people — those who tilled the soil, built the roads, and kept the fires of family and faith burning. Later, in the crucible of World War II, it was not only soldiers on distant shores who displayed valor, but also the mothers who rationed and worked, the children who gathered scrap metal, the communities that stood united. In each generation, the nation has faced darkness, yet from that darkness emerged renewal — not through miracle, but through the unyielding grit of its people.

It is this same spirit of resilience that Biden invokes — the belief that ordinary citizens, bound by shared purpose and compassion, can overcome extraordinary challenges. This is not the arrogance of destiny, but the humility of endurance: the knowledge that greatness is not guaranteed, but earned through perseverance. It is the same spirit that carried the nation through the ashes of September 11th, when strangers became brothers, when fear gave way to unity. It is the spirit that stirs in every nurse who rises before dawn, every firefighter who runs toward danger, every teacher who gives hope to a child. These are the unseen heroes whose courage sustains the promise of tomorrow.

And yet, Biden’s words are not only a tribute — they are also a charge. To say that “we’re going to be OK because of the American people” is to remind each of us that we are the guardians of that promise. The grit and courage he speaks of are not distant qualities possessed by others, but living virtues within each heart. It is a call to awaken that strength, to act with integrity, to serve with compassion, to keep faith even when the path is uncertain. For as long as there are those who believe, who strive, who care, the nation — and indeed, humanity itself — will endure.

Let this, then, be the lesson we carry: that hope is not passive, but active; that courage is not the absence of fear, but the will to stand firm despite it. When despair whispers that all is lost, remember Biden’s words — and remember that every generation has faced its trials and overcome them through unity and resilience. The American people, like all people of conscience and heart, possess within them a power greater than any hardship: the power to endure, to rebuild, to believe again.

So, take this teaching into your own life. When the road ahead seems uncertain, when fear grips your heart, when division clouds your vision — remember this: you are part of something greater. You are a bearer of that same grit, that same determination, that same courage that has carried humanity through every storm. Stand firm. Work faithfully. Believe deeply. For as long as that spirit lives within you, as long as people choose hope over despair, we will indeed — as Biden said — be OK.