quotations about patriotism
Patriotism is a thing of the heart. A man is a patriot if his heart beats true to his country.
CHARLES E. JEFFERSON
"Ethical Aspects of Conscription and the War"
Patriotism is one of the unalterable facts of man's nature. It is a virtue if you like it, and a vice if you don't like it.
MAX EASTMAN
"What Shall We Do With Patriotism?"
Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.
SAMUEL JOHNSON
Boswell's Life of Dr. Johnson
Patriotism is the admission that people who share a land, a place, and a history have a special obligation to that place and to each other.
DAVID EHRENFELD
Becoming Good Ancestors
What a strange development of patriotism that turns a thinking being into a loyal machine!
EMMA GOLDMAN
"Patriotism: A Menace to Liberty", Anarchism and Other Essays
You're not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.
MALCOLM X
speech, January 7, 1965
Those who love their country never wish to rule it.
ABRAHAM MILLER
Unmoral Maxims
Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons.
BERTRAND RUSSELL
attributed, The Bertrand Russell Society Quarterly
Take patriotism away, and the nation's soul has fled.
EDWARD MARK DEEMS
Holy Days and Holidays
Patriotism ... is a superstition artificially created and maintained through a network of lies and falsehoods; a superstition that robs man of his self-respect and dignity, and increases his arrogance and conceit.
EMMA GOLDMAN
Anarchism and Other Essays
We're being sold a brand new idea of patriotism. It never occurred to me that patriotism had to be advertised. Patriotism is something you deeply felt. You didn't have to wear it on your lapel or show it in your window or on a bumper sticker. That kind of patriotism does not appeal to me at all.
SAM SHEPARD
The Village Voice, November 12, 2004
Patriotism is merely a religion--love of country, worship of country, devotion to the country's flag and honor and welfare.
MARK TWAIN
"As Regards Patriotism"
Patriotism is not the same as nationalism, because love of country is not the same as worship of country.
JOHN CHANDLER
"Do you know the difference between being an American and being a Christian?", Baptist News, March 31, 2016
Patriotism is a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood and narrows the mind.
ANONYMOUS
often falsely attributed to Julius Caesar
The essence of patriotism is the sacrifice of personal interest to public welfare.
WILLIAM H. BURNHAM
New Outlook, vol. 90
Patriotism: Your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
The Public: A Journal of Democracy, 1910
Patriotism is the opposite of selfish individualism.
DAVID EHRENFELD
Becoming Good Ancestors
Patriotism is like religion--it is best when least ostentatious.
CHARLES E. JEFFERSON
"Ethical Aspects of Conscription and the War"
While patriotism is often lauded as an unquestionable value, the status of patriotism is a problem for many thoughtful people. It is particularly troublesome for people who care about the common good but are alienated by the all too frequent use of patriotism and patriotic symbols to stifle debate, tarnish the images of rival candidates, or arouse popular support for aggressive military policies.
STEPHEN NATHANSON
introduction, Patriotism, Morality, and Peace
Patriotism is a lively sense of collective responsibility. Nationalism is a silly cock crowing on its own dunghill and calling for larger spurs and brighter beaks.
RICHARD ALDINGTON
The Colonel's Daughter