Who said “As individuals and as a nation, we now suffer from social narcissism. The beloved Echo…”?

Verified

Daniel J. Boorstin. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceThe Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America (1961)

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“As individuals and as a nation, we now suffer from social narcissism. The beloved Echo of our ancestors, the virgin America, has been abandoned. We have fallen in love with our own image, with images of our making, which turn out to be images of ourselves.”
— Daniel J. Boorstin
VerifiedThe Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America (1961) · evidenceConceit

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America (1961).

APA

Boorstin, D. J. (n.d.). As individuals and as a nation, we now suffer from social narcissism. The beloved Echo of our ancestors, the virgin America, has been abandoned. We have fallen in love with our own image, with images of our making, which turn out to be images of ourselves. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/10987-as-individuals-and-as-a-nation-we-now/

MLA

Boorstin, Daniel J. “As individuals and as a nation, we now suffer from social narcissism. The beloved Echo of our ancestors, the virgin America, has been abandoned. We have fallen in love with our own image, with images of our making, which turn out to be images of ourselves.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/10987-as-individuals-and-as-a-nation-we-now/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Boorstin, Daniel J. “As individuals and as a nation, we now suffer from social narcissism. The beloved Echo of our ancestors, the virgin America, has been abandoned. We have fallen in love with our own image, with images of our making, which turn out to be images of ourselves.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/10987-as-individuals-and-as-a-nation-we-now/.

Related quotes

“A person wrapped up in himself makes a small package.”
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More quotes by Daniel J. Boorstin

“A sign of a celebrity is often that his name is worth more than his services.”
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“Celebrity-worship and hero-worship should not be confused. Yet we confuse them every day, and by doing so we come dangerously close to depriving ourselves of all real models. We lose sight of the men and women who do not simply seem great because they are famous but are famous because they are great. We come closer and closer to degrading all fame into notoriety.”
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“Of all the nations in the world, the United States was built in nobody's image. It was the land of the unexpected, of unbounded hope, of ideals, of quest for an unknown perfection. It is all the more unfitting that we should offer ourselves in images. And all the more fitting that the images which we make wittingly or unwittingly to sell America to the world should come back to haunt and curse us.”
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“The world of crime is a last refuge of the authentic, uncorrupted, spontaneous event.”
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“The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance -- it is the illusion of knowledge.”
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All 23 Daniel J. Boorstin quotes →