News & Views

Are you getting excited about the Fourth of July? It's the birthday of our nation, and you're probably pulling out the sparklers, scrubbing down the grill, and loading up the coolers, right? Me? I'm packing the tissues.

I'm going to need them to help get through that overwhelming feeling of pride that bubbles up inside of me at being an American. Yes, I know, it is corny! But every July 4th, without fail, I cry. All it takes is the first strains of "God Bless America," and I am a blubbering mess, but I'm a patriotic one!

And here are some of the patriotic quotes that seem to sum up July 4th for me this year.

They come from presidents, authors, and songwriters, and they're all about America. Feel free to steal them -- maybe you'll post them to Pinterest (check out The Stir's Fourth of July board for more ideas!). Maybe you'll pass them along to a fellow patriot. Or maybe you'll sit quietly with a pack of tissues and let yourself be swallowed up by the overwhelming feeling of being lucky to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Don't worry -- you won't be alone!

Which quote best sums up the America you love?

Image by Jeanne Sager