So long as free land exists, the opportunity for a competency exists, and economic power secures political power.
Frederick Jackson TurnerRead
That coarseness and strength combined with acuteness and inquisitiveness; that practical, inventive turn of mind, quick to find expedients; that masterful grasp of material things, lacking in the artistic but powerful to effect great ends; that restless, nervous energy; that dominant individualism, working for good and evil, and withal that buoyancy and exuberance which comes with freedom - these are the traits of the frontier.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote describes the essential traits of individuals who embody the spirit of the frontier, highlighting their strength, inventiveness, and individualism.
Frederick Jackson Turner outlines a complex portrait of frontier individuals, emphasizing their unique combination of strength, quick-wittedness, and a relentless energy that drives them to forge their own path. While they may lack artistic sensibilities, their practicality allows them to achieve significant outcomes, showcasing both the potential for good and the risks of individualistic pursuits. This expression of buoyancy and exuberance reflects the freedom that characterizes the frontier spirit.
Themes
FrontierStrengthIndividualismEnergyFreedom
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about innovation and progress, one could cite this quote to illustrate the spirit of inventiveness.
More from Frederick Jackson Turner
All quotes →The frontier has gone, and with its going has closed the first period of American history.
Frederick Jackson TurnerRead
Similar quotes
Every psychic advance of man arises from the suffering of the soul.
Carl JungRead
A few years ago it dawned on me that everybody past a certain age - regardless of how they look on the outside - pretty much constantly dreams of being able to escape from their lives.
Douglas CouplandRead
The sky lay over the city like a map showing the strata of things and the big full moon toppled over in a furrow like the abandoned wheel of a gun carriage on a sunset field of battle and the shadows walked like cats and I looked into the white and ghostly interior of things and thought of you and I looked on their structural outsides and thought of you and was lonesome.
Zelda FitzgeraldRead
An unexamined life is a life of no account.
SocratesRead
Let us remember the large numbers of citizens who, day in and day out, through acts of volunteerism large and small, bring hope to so many of the world's disadvantaged. Let us ensure that this wonderful resource, available in abundance to every nation, is recognized and supported as it works towards a more prosperous and peaceful world.
Kofi AnnanRead
The white man discovered the Cross by way of the Bible, but the black man discovered the Bible by way of the Cross.
James A. BaldwinRead