"Our first Prime Minister saw a country that would be known for its generosity of spirit. And so it is"
About this Quote
“Generosity of spirit” is doing a lot of work. It’s intangible enough to be broadly agreeable, but pointed enough to signal Canada’s preferred contrast with sharper-edged nationalism elsewhere: welcoming, peacekeeping, pluralist, politely responsible. It’s a brand statement dressed as character evidence. Campbell’s second sentence—“And so it is”—is the political equivalent of a seal pressed into wax. No debate, no qualifiers, no admission of fracture. The cadence is declarative, almost liturgical, asking listeners to assent as a matter of belonging.
The subtext, though, is that this generosity needs reaffirmation precisely because it feels contested. Campbell, a short-tenure prime minister and a public voice in constitutional and civic debates, is arguing for continuity: that Canada’s best self is not a recent marketing campaign but a foundational promise. The quote flatters the audience into responsibility: if we’re “known” for generosity, then failing it isn’t just policy drift—it’s national betrayal.
Quote Details
| Topic | Kindness |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Campbell, Kim. (n.d.). Our first Prime Minister saw a country that would be known for its generosity of spirit. And so it is. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/our-first-prime-minister-saw-a-country-that-would-56134/
Chicago Style
Campbell, Kim. "Our first Prime Minister saw a country that would be known for its generosity of spirit. And so it is." FixQuotes. Accessed February 2, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/our-first-prime-minister-saw-a-country-that-would-56134/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Our first Prime Minister saw a country that would be known for its generosity of spirit. And so it is." FixQuotes, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/our-first-prime-minister-saw-a-country-that-would-56134/. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.











