Kudos to Alfange for writing this, though I would like to see this generalized as a creed of human dignity and not merely an American one.
An American’s Creed
By Dean Alfange
I do not choose to be a common man
It is my right to be uncommon—if I can.
I seek opportunity—not security.
I do not wish to be a kept citizen,
Humbled and dulled by having the state look after me.
I want to take the calculated risk,
To dream and build, to fail and succeed.
I refuse to barter incentive for a dole.
I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence,
The thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia.
I will not trade freedom for beneficence
Or my dignity for a hand out.
I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat.
It is my heritage to stand erect, proud,
And unafraid; to think and act for myself,
Enjoy the benefits of my creations
And to face the world boldly and say, this I have done
All this is what it means to be an American.
[Source: Dictionary of Quotations | Reprinted in The Reader’s Digest, October 1952]