[Jeff Daniels’ character Will McAvoy in The Newsroom][1]:

> We reached for the stars, and we acted like men. We aspired to intelligence; we didn’t belittle it; it didn’t make us feel inferior.

My wife and I just started watching *The Newsroom* last night — it’s a fantastic show — and this monologue from the first episode is insanely great. Take the time to read the entire thing, I missed it when the show came out last year, but I suspect it hits even harder for Americans *this* year.

([Here’s the video][2] if you prefer to listen/watch.)

[1]: http://theriggs.tumblr.com/post/25829999353/jeff-daniels-monologue-from-the-newsroom
[2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h__uutzcQXc