“The genius of American culture and its integrity comes from fidelity to the light.”

— Richard Rodríguez

"Night and Day" in Frontiers (1990)
Context: The genius of American culture and its integrity comes from fidelity to the light. Plain as day, we say. Happy as the day is long. Early to bed, early to rise. American virtues are daylight virtues: honesty, integrity, plain speech. We say yes when we mean yes and no when we mean no, and all else comes from the evil one. America presumes innocence and even the right to happiness.

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American journalist and essayist 1944

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“The genius of American culture and its integrity comes from fidelity to the light.”

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