Politics & Power Quote by George Soros

A patriotism built on principles, not pedigree: Soros frames belonging as a deliberate, values-based choice. The line is engineered to sound like an immigrant’s thank-you note, but it’s also a rebuttal in advance. By naming “freedom and democracy” alongside “civil liberties and an open society,” he isn’t just praising the United States; he’s staking out the ideological terrain on which he wants to be judged. That matters because Soros’ public identity has long been less “businessman” than symbolic antagonist in nationalist and conspiratorial narratives. The quote functions like a legal brief in plain language: I am here for the rules of the game, not to rig them.

The phrasing is revealing. “I chose America” asserts agency and consent, pushing back against the notion that outsiders are passively “taken in” or perpetually suspect. The list that follows is a carefully curated cluster associated with liberal pluralism: open society as both moral commitment and brand signature, given Soros’ philanthropic project and its critics. It’s a values checklist designed to trigger recognition in supporters and to corner detractors: if you oppose me, are you opposing these ideals?

Subtextually, it’s also a warning. Civil liberties and openness are presented as fragile achievements, not fixed national traits. The compliment contains a quiet conditional: America is worth choosing when it lives up to these promises. That’s the hidden tension powering the sentence - gratitude with teeth, allegiance paired with accountability.