Quotes: Kristof

In the article "U.S.A. Land of Limitations" by Nicholas Kristof there are three quotes that I found in the text that explain the main idea best. The first quote that I found was at the beginning of the article explaining that this country is a great place to start a new life because it is, yet more than any other first world countries the chances of becoming successful if you were born poor are very slim. "A child born in the bottom quintile of incomes in the United States has only a 4 percent chance of rising to the top quintile." This means that if you were born poor that there is not a high probability statistically that you will make it to the top. That's what makes success stories in this country even more impressive because we know the freedom we have yet there are limitations instilled to knock people back down. For example, Rick, Kristof's friend was neglected as a child and raided himself and his three other siblings, he had a brilliant mind but due to his ADD teachers thought he lacked in academic ability. Rick skipped school then was punished so he left, being educated could've helped him achieve a better life but because of his personal obstacles, he couldn't go the distance. The next quote I found was "talent is universal, but the opportunity is not". Which speaks volumes to what the human being is capable of doing, everyone is an expert at something. If you are a skilled lawyer and graduated top of your class and apply for a law firm position against another person equally matched in your capability but they have a family member at the law firm, that is where the odds are against you. The last quote is "Success is not a sign of virtue. It's mostly a sign that your grandparents did well". America is a fairly young country compared to others, we established a Declaration of Independence in 1776 in which we separated ourselves from England. People immigrated to this country before that on the Mayflower and expanded their riches just simply because they got to this country first. A statement that I would make in class would be along the lines of depending on who you are, whom you know, and where you come from an individual can face their own set of obstacles and opportunities. How hard you work to get there and overcome those obstacles is what makes the difference.