©2008-2012 Roedy Green, Canadian Mind ProductsQuotations are selected from this pool (and other quotation pools) in a pseudorandom way every hour and inserted at the top and bottom of some of the major pages on this website. Feel free to copy any of these quotes and paste them for whatever purpose you please.
A sea of red coats and white trousers, in perfect step, the airs of the Republic blasted with particular gusto, the kind of sing-along oom pah pah of which patriotism is made.
~ Anonymous
Patriotism is fierce as a fever, pitiless as the grave, blind as a stone, and as irrational as a headless hen.
~ Ambrose Bierce (born: 1842-06-24 died: 1914 at age: 72)
Patriotism: combustible rubbish ready to the torch of any one ambitious to illuminate his name.
~ Ambrose Bierce (born: 1842-06-24 died: 1914 at age: 72)
God and Country are an unbeatable team; they break all records for oppression and bloodshed.
~ Louis Buñuel (born: 1900-02-22 died: 1983-08-29 at age: 83)
Patriotism is the religion of hell.
~ James Branch Cabell (born: 1879-04-14 died: 1958-05-05 at age: 79)
The love of one’s country is a splendid thing. But why should love stop at the border?
~ Pablo Casals (born: 1876-12-29 died: 1973-10-22 at age: 96)
“My country, right or wrong” is a thing no patriot would ever think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying “My mother, drunk or sober.”
~ G. K. Chesterton (born: 1874-05-29 died: 1936-06-14 at age: 62)
There is hopeful symbolism in the fact that flags do not wave in a vacuum.
~ Arthur C. Clarke (born: 1917-12-16 died: 2008-03-19 at age: 90)
Many a bum show has been saved by the flag.
~ George M. Cohan (born: 1878-07-03 died: 1942-11-05 at age: 64)
Men in authority will always think that criticism of their policies is dangerous. They will always equate their policies with patriotism, and find criticism subversive.
~ Henry Steele Commager (born: 1902-10-25 died: 1998-03-02 at age: 95)
Never was patriot yet, but was a fool.
~ John Dryden (born: 1631-08-19 died: 1700-05-01 at age: 68)
No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots.
~ Barbara Ehrenreich (born: 1941-08-26 age: 70)
He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.
~ Albert Einstein (born: 1879-03-14 died: 1955-04-18 at age: 76)
Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism — how passionately I hate them!
~ Albert Einstein (born: 1879-03-14 died: 1955-04-18 at age: 76)
I find it difficult to believe that I belong to such an idiotic, rotten species — the species that actually boasts of its freedom of will, heroism on command, senseless violence, and all of the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism.
~ Albert Einstein (born: 1879-03-14 died: 1955-04-18 at age: 76)
Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.
~ Albert Einstein (born: 1879-03-14 died: 1955-04-18 at age: 76) Telegram, 1946-04-25
When a whole nation is roaring Patriotism at the top of its voice, I am fain to explore the cleanness of its hands and the purity of its heart.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (born: 1803-05-25 died: 1882-04-27 at age: 78), Journals, 1824
That kind of patriotism which consists in hating all other nations.
~ Elizabeth Gaskell (born: 1810-09-29 died: 1865-11-12 at age: 55)
Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.
~ Charles de Gaulle (born: 1890-11-22 died: 1970-11-09 at age: 79) General
Patriotism ruins history.
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (born: 1749-08-28 died: 1832-03-22 at age: 82)
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 (born: 1869-06-27 died: 1940-05-14 at age: 70)
Naturally the common people don’t want war: Neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.
~ Hermann Göering (born: 1893-01-02 died: 1946-10-15 at age: 53), President of the Reichstag, Nazi Party, and Luftwaffe Commander in Chief.This is how George W. Bush and Barack Obama have managed to sell the Afghan and Iraq wars even though neither Afghanistan nor Iraq ever attacked the USA. Strangely, Americans swallow the lie even when they know the USA attacked Afghanistan and Iraq, not the reverse. They have been softened up by believing Christian inconsistency.
Patriotism is proud of a country’s virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their own specific virtues. The pride of nationalism, however, trumpets its country’s virtues and denies its deficiencies, while it is contemptuous toward the virtues of other countries. It wants to be, and proclaims itself to be, ‘the greatest,’ but greatness is not required of a country; only goodness is.
~ Sydney J. Harris (born: 1917-09-04 died: 1986-12-08 at age: 69)
A politician will do anything to keep his job even become a patriot.
~ William Randolph Hearst (born: 1863 died: 1951 at age: 88) US newspaper publisher, Recalled on his death 1951-08-14
The U.S. public is depoliticised, poorly informed on foreign affairs… and strongly patriotic in the face of a struggle with “another Hitler”. Even though the public is normally averse to war, even with modest propaganda efforts… the public can be quickly transformed into enthusiastic supporters of war.
~ Edward S. Herman (born: 1928-04-07 age: 84)
The heights of popularity and patriotism are still the beaten road to power and tyranny; flattery to treachery; standing armies to arbitrary government; and the glory of God to the temporal interest of the clergy.
~ David Hume (born: 1711-04-26 died: 1776-08-25 at age: 65)
One of the great attractions of patriotism — it fulfills our worst wishes. In the person of our nation we are able, vicariously, to bully and cheat. Bully and cheat, what’s more, with a feeling that we are profoundly virtuous.
~ Aldous Huxley (born: 1894-07-26 died: 1963-11-22 at age: 69)
Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.
~ Thomas Jefferson (born: 1743-04-13 died: 1826-07-04 at age: 83)
Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels.
~ Samuel Johnson (born: 1709-09-18 died: 1784-12-13 at age: 75)
When a dog barks at the moon, then it is religion; but when he barks at strangers, it is patriotism!
~ David Starr Jordan (born: 1851-01-19 died: 1931-09-19 at age: 80)
Patriotism does not oblige us to acquiesce in the destruction of liberty. Patriotism obliges us to question it, at least.
~ Wendy Kaminer (born: 1950 age: 61)
Patriotism is a kind of religion; it is the egg from which wars are hatched.
~ Guy de Maupassant (born: 1850-08-05 died: 1893-07-06 at age: 42)
The highest patriotism is not a blind acceptance of official policy, but a love of one’s country deep enough to call her to a higher plain.
~ George McGovern (born: 1922-07-19 age: 89)
In the United States, doing good has come to be, like patriotism, a favorite device of persons with something to sell.
~ Henry Louis Mencken (born: 1880-09-12 died: 1956-01-29 at age: 75)
Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles.
~ George Jean Nathan (born: 1882-02-14 died: 1958-04-08 at age: 76)
Patriotism is usually stronger than class hatred, and always stronger than internationalism.
~ George Orwell (born: 1903-06-25 died: 1950-01-21 at age: 46)
The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them.
~ George Orwell (born: 1903-06-25 died: 1950-01-21 at age: 46)
If patriotism is “the last refuge of a scoundrel”, it is not merely because evil deeds may be performed in the name of patriotism, but because patriotic fervor can obliterate moral distinctions altogether.
~ Ralph B. Perry (born: 1876-07-03 died: 1957-01-22 at age: 80)
Socrates said he was not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world.
~ Plutarch (born: 46 AD died: 120 AD at age: 74) On Banishment
I can train a monkey to wave an American flag. That does not make the monkey patriotic.
~ Scott Ritter (born: 1961-07-15 age: 50)
America is just coming out of two illegal wars, where it behaved worse than Nazis, using banned weapons (land mines, cluster bombs, napalm, DU (Depleted Uranium) and white phosphorus, treating the Geneva conventions as “quaint’, routinely torturing detainees, mistreating POW (Prisoner Of War)s in rendition dungeons. This is the sort of thing only rogue nations do. It is hard for me to believe that any American will admit to being a citizen of such a disgraced country. What is astounding, is many claim to be proud of the USA, and what it did.
~ Roedy (born: 1948-02-04 age: 64)
Americans are so poisoned by patriotism they imagine they are the biggest and best even when they are far from it. For example, Americans believe the USA has the only economy in the world that matters even though the EU exports more than three times what the US does. Asia exports twice as much. The US health care system in terms of IMR (Infant Mortality Rate) ranks #45 in the world, two rungs below Cuba. The US does lead in military spending (and ironically also in paranoia). It wastes a record 27% of its food. It produces more greenhouse gases per capita than any other country. It is second to China in burning coal, which will shame some Americans and disappoint others. The US is the biggest energy pig, consuming 23% of the planet’s energy with only 5% of the population. Oddly many Americans are proud of that.
~ Roedy (born: 1948-02-04 age: 64)
Americans glorify their wars even though there is nothing admirable about war. Wars are either a failure to deter aggression in others or a succumbing to the temptation to use violence to steal from others.
~ Roedy (born: 1948-02-04 age: 64)
Everyone agrees that politicians lie, yet if you suggest that the administration lied about its motives for war and that the true motives are less than honourable, be prepared to be branded a traitor.
~ Roedy (born: 1948-02-04 age: 64)
Is it a coincidence that patriot rhymes with idiot?
~ Roedy (born: 1948-02-04 age: 64)
Love of country is such a powerful emotion, that it is easy for scoundrels to exploit it. Politicians and military men wrap themselves in the flag and deftly convince the populace that even suspecting them of wrongdoing is treasonous.
~ Roedy (born: 1948-02-04 age: 64)
Nationalism is disguised racism.
~ Roedy (born: 1948-02-04 age: 64)
Over the years, the word patriot has come to mean someone who looks forward to beating the crap out of anyone who disagrees with him.
~ Roedy (born: 1948-02-04 age: 64)
Patriotism blinds Americans into the delusion that they have the best medical care system in the world. It is by far the most expensive, but only #42, on par with Cuba, in outcomes.
~ Roedy (born: 1948-02-04 age: 64)
Patriotism is directly proportional to how badly a country behaves. Consider the USA, North Korea and Nazi Germany. It masks guilt.
~ Roedy (born: 1948-02-04 age: 64)
Patriotism is like the ring in the nose of a pig. It lets somebody else lead you around by the nose. If you are super patriotic, most of your critical faculties are turned off. You are a patsy.
~ Roedy (born: 1948-02-04 age: 64)
Patriotism tugs at the heartstrings. It is matter of loyalty. This goes right back to our hunter-gatherer past. You must support your chief no matter what a bastard he is. The alternative is being clobbered by the neighbouring tribe. My tribe right or wrong.
~ Roedy (born: 1948-02-04 age: 64)
Patriotism: noun, a nationalistic cheerleading that causes a peculiar form of blindness that magnifies the faults of your rivals and makes your own country’s faults invisible.
~ Roedy (born: 1948-02-04 age: 64)
Some people go all gooey inside when they hear readings from the bible. Some go gooey on hearing the strains of their national anthem. I go all gooey when someone talks about preserving our planet.
~ Roedy (born: 1948-02-04 age: 64)
What would you think of a feuding family, that instead of birthdays, celebrated the anniversaries of conflicts of the past where one family member beat the crap out of another or literally tortured them? What if they reenacted battles of their family ancestors, glorifying in their brutality? You might thing they were nuts. However, they are behaving the same way as your average patriot.
~ Roedy (born: 1948-02-04 age: 64)
Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.
~ Theodore Roosevelt (born: 1858-10-27 died: 1919-01-06 at age: 60)
Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons.
~ Bertrand Russell (born: 1872-05-18 died: 1970-02-02 at age: 97)
Patriots always talk of dying for their country and never of killing for their country.
~ Bertrand Russell (born: 1872-05-18 died: 1970-02-02 at age: 97)
A man’s feet must be planted in his country, but his eyes should survey the world.
~ George Santayana (born: 1863-12-16 died: 1952-09-26 at age: 88)
To me, it seems a dreadful indignity to have a soul controlled by geography.
~ George Santayana (born: 1863-12-16 died: 1952-09-26 at age: 88)
The peace and welfare of this and coming generations of Americans will be secure only as we cling to the watchword of true patriotism: ‘Our country — when right to be kept right; when wrong to be put right’.
~ Carl Schurz (born: 1829-03-02 died: 1906-05-14 at age: 77)
Men love their country, not because it is great, but because it is their own.
~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca (born: 4 BC died: 65 AD at age: 68)
A healthy nation is as unconscious of its nationality as a healthy man of his bones. But if you break a nation’s nationality it will think of nothing else but getting it set again.
~ George Bernard Shaw (born: 1856-07-26 died: 1950-11-02 at age: 94)
Patriotism is a pernicious, psychopathic form of idiocy.
~ George Bernard Shaw (born: 1856-07-26 died: 1950-11-02 at age: 94)
Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.
~ George Bernard Shaw (born: 1856-07-26 died: 1950-11-02 at age: 94)
You’ll never have a quiet world till you knock the patriotism out of the human race.
~ George Bernard Shaw (born: 1856-07-26 died: 1950-11-02 at age: 94)
Patriotism means unqualified and unwavering love for the nation, which implies not uncritical eagerness to serve, not support for unjust claims, but frank assessment of its vices and sins, and penitence for them.
~ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (born: 1918-12-11 died: 2008-08-03 at age: 89)
Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.
~ Adlai Stevenson (born: 1900-02-05 died: 1965-07-14 at age: 65)
During times of war, hatred becomes quite respectable, even though it has to masquerade often under the guise of patriotism.
~ Howard Thurman (born: 1899 died: 1981-04-10 at age: 81)
The time is fast approaching when to call a man a patriot will be the deepest insult you can offer him. Patriotism now means advocating plunder in the interest of the privileged classes of the particular State system into which we have happened to be born.
~ Leo Tolstoy (born: 1828-09-09 died: 1910-11-07 at age: 82)
Man is the only Patriot. He sets himself apart in his own country, under his own flag, and sneers at the other nations, and keeps multitudinous uniformed assassins on hand at heavy expense to grab slices of other people’s countries, and keep them from grabbing slices of his. And in the intervals between campaigns he washes the blood off his hands and works for “the universal brotherhood of man” — with his mouth.
~ Mark Twain (born: 1835-11-30 died: 1910-04-21 at age: 74)
Born in iniquity and conceived in sin, the spirit of nationalism has never ceased to bend human institutions to the service of dissension and distress.
~ Thorstein Veblen (born: 1857-07-30 died: 1929-08-03 at age: 72)
It is lamentable, that to be a good patriot one must become the enemy of the rest of mankind.
~ Voltaire (born: 1694-11-21 died: 1778-05-30 at age: 83) [François Marie d’Arouet Voltaire]
Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.
~ George Washington (born: 1732-02-22 died: 1799-12-14 at age: 67)
Beer commercials are so patriotic: “Made the American Way”. What does that have to do with America? Is that what America stands for? Feeling sluggish and urinating frequently?
~ Evelyn Waugh (born: 1903-10-08 died: 1966-04-10 at age: 62)
Patriotism has become a mere national self assertion, a sentimentality of flag-cheering with no constructive duties.
~ H. G. Wells (born: 1866-09-21 died: 1946-08-13 at age: 79)
Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious.
~ Oscar Wilde (born: 1854-10-16 died: 1900-11-30 at age: 46)
There are two visions of America. One precedes our founding fathers and finds its roots in the harshness of our puritan past. It is very suspicious of freedom, uncomfortable with diversity, hostile to science, unfriendly to reason, contemptuous of personal autonomy. It sees America as a religious nation. It views patriotism as allegiance to God. It secretly adores coercion and conformity. Despite our constitution, despite the legacy of the Enlightenment, it appeals to millions of Americans and threatens our freedom. The other vision finds its roots in the spirit of our founding revolution and in the leaders of this nation who embraced the age of reason. It loves freedom, encourages diversity, embraces science and affirms the dignity and rights of every individual. It sees America as a moral nation, neither completely religious nor completely secular. It defines patriotism as love of country and of the people who make it strong. It defends all citizens against unjust coercion and irrational conformity. This second vision is our vision. It is the vision of a free society. We must be bold enough to proclaim it and strong enough to defend it against all its enemies.
~ Rabbi Sherwin Wine (born: 1928-01-25 died: 2007-01-21 at age: 78)
You’re not 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 (born: 1925-05-19 died: 1965-02-21 at age: 39)
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