How does your hometown rate as a place to do business? Check out this report, from Inc. magazine,... Celebrities Speak On The A

Itty-bitty abodes quietly come back into vogue as the era of McMansions shows signs of peaking and homebuyers are getting comfortable with fewer square feet.

America is a land built by immigrants, a patchwork of different cultures and creeds. But despite our many differences, we're held together by a common thread: the promise of a better life.

We call that promise the American Dream, and it defines us as a people. But sit down a couple of different Americans, and you'll find that their perceptions of the dream vary widely. For some it's about making money. For others it's about unlimited opportunity. And for some it's a dream unfulfilled.

To kick off a yearlong celebration of the 10th anniversary of Forbes.com, we asked more than 60 great achievers, including actors, artists, politicians and executives, to answer the question "What is the American Dream?" Their answers ranged from patriotic to critical, from somber to hilarious.

Many Americans define the dream in terms of an immigrant success story--particularly those not born in the U.S. "The American Dream is something that every immigrant brought to this country, as my parents did," says former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. "[It] is the ability to go as far as you can in life, limited only by your own dreams and willingness to work hard."

Novelist Ha Jin--author of the international best seller Waiting--left his native China in 1985. "People tend to associate the American Dream with professional and material success, but some immigrants have not come to the States just for better opportunities or more existential space," he says. "To them, America is somewhat like an idealized place where you are entitled to pursue your own vision and fulfillment. In this sense, the American Dream should be very personal--each individual should have their own version of the American Dream, which should not exclude the willingness to face failure if one has to run risk."

Traditionally, many Americans have seen the dream as a promise of opportunity, and a chance to make yourself rich. "The American Dream is ownership ... a house, a car, a vacation home and, even better, your own business," says celebrity chef and Food Network star Mario Batali.

But some observers say that the dream is about equality, and that we must be vigilant to assure everyone has the same access to it. "I think the American Dream is equal protection under the law and equal opportunity," said the Rev. Al Sharpton, president of civil rights organization the National Action Network. "America can't work for only some people and become a dream for all people. It has to work for everyone."

For others, the dream takes on a domestic flair. "Our families and our homes are the center of American life," says homemaking guru Martha Stewart. "Everything we do is to make those homes--and the lives in them--more beautiful, more comfortable, more functional and more full of life and light and joy for those we love."

This is cache, read story here