As the United States celebrates a quarter millennium, I thought it would be a good time to highlight a few of my favorite quotes by and about the diverse and brilliant people who have come to our shores to seek a better life, escape persecution, and build our country.

Since the beginning, we as a nation have held conflicting views on immigrants and immigration. But for me, to celebrate America means to celebrate immigration. I think of my own family story of refugees fleeing Czarist Russia, or my wife's grandparents who escaped the Holocaust. And I think of my clients, who have taught me much about resilience and courage. The stories of the past remind us of how immigrants have benefited our country and helped create the most diverse, dynamic, and successful nation in the history of the world.

The following quotes reflect the immigrant experience in America and the American experience of immigration, and so without further ado, here you go:

George Washington (President, Founding Father, general): "The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respected Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges...."

Thomas Paine (Founding Father and general rabble rouser): "The United States should be an asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty."

Frederick Douglas (abolitionist, statesman): "If we would reach a degree of civilization higher and grander than any yet attained, we should welcome to our ample continent all the nations, kindreds, tongues and peoples, and as fast as they learn our language and comprehend the duties of citizenship, we should incorporate them into the American body politic. The outspread wings of the American eagle are broad enough to shelter all who are likely to come."

Eleonor Roosevelt (First Lady, humanitarian): "If we study our own history, we find that we have always been ready to receive the unfortunate from other countries, and though this may seem a generous gesture on our part, we have profited a thousand fold by what they have brought us."

John F. Kennedy (President, PT boat captain): "As each new wave of immigration has reached America, it has been faced with problems… Somehow, the difficult adjustments are made and people get down to the tasks of earning a living, raising a family, living with their neighbors, and in the process, building a nation."

Judy Garland (actress, singer, tornado survivor): "When you get to know a lot of people, you make a great discovery. You find that no one group has a monopoly on looks, brains, goodness or anything else. It takes all the people - black and white, Catholic, Jewish and Protestant, recent immigrants and Mayflower descendants - to make up America."

Ronald Reagan (President, actor): "We lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our people -- our strength -- from every country and every corner of the world. And by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation."

Warsan Shire (writer, poet, Beyoncé whisperer): "No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land."

Colin Powell (Secretary of Defense): "I have witnessed time and again the bravery and valor of soldiers defending a country that they consider their adopted home. They are grateful for the opportunities the United States provides, and we are grateful for their sacrifices."

Chuck Palahniuk (author, Fight Club): "The truth is, immigrants tend to be more American than people born here."

Daniel Nayeri (author, Everything Sad is Untrue): "When the immigrants came to America, they thought the streets would be paved with gold. But when they got here, they realized three things: 1. The streets were not paved with gold. 2. The streets were not paved at all. 3. They were the ones expected to do the paving."

Krishanti O'Mara Vignarajah (President and CEO of Global Refugee): "We welcome refugees, not because they are American… But because we are American."

Hala (Syrian refugee): "A refugee is a brave person who decides to take his destiny in his own hands despite the dangers out there."

Wajahat Ali (correspondent and playwright): "Parasites get a bad rap, but did you know some of us actually help protect the host from infections, diseases, and ailments? In the case of America, we protect this country from eating bland food, doing manual labor, competing in spelling competitions, driving around NYC, engineering, performing their own surgeries, economic collapse, and making fools out of themselves when they attempt to wear a sari without guidance."

Shane MacGowan (lead singer, The Pogues): "****ing borders are just such a pain in the ****ing arse."

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (author, The Undocumented Americans): "As an undocumented person, I felt like a hologram. Nothing felt secure. I never felt safe. I didn’t allow myself to feel joy because I was scared to attach myself to anything I’d have to let go of. Being deportable means you have to be ready to go at any moment, ready to go with nothing but the clothes on your body. I’ve learned to develop no relationship to anything, not to photos, not to people, not to jewelry or clothing or ticket stubs or stuffed animals from childhood."

Dina Nayeri (author, The Ungrateful Refugee): "It is the obligation of every person born in a safer room to open the door when someone in danger knocks."

And so there you have it. I wish you a happy Independence Day! And many more!

Originally posted on the Asylumist: www.Asylumist.com