Nation and Patriotism

A modern gentleman is necessarily the enemy of his country. Even in war he does not fight to defend it, but to prevent his power of preying on it from passing to a foreigner. Such combatants are patriots in the same sense as two dogs fighting for a bone are lovers of animals.

A colonial Imperialist is one who raises colonial troops, equips a colonial squadron, claims a Federal Parliament sending its measures to the Throne instead of to the Colonial Office, and, being finally brought by this means into insoluble conflict with the insular British Imperialist, "cuts the painter" and breaks up the Empire.

Excess of insularity makes a Briton an Imperialist.

Excess of local self-assertion makes a colonist an Imperialist.

The populace cannot understand the bureaucracy: it can only worship the national idols.

Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valour, and be in readiness for the conflict; for it is better for us to perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and our altar.

The men who create power make an indispensable contribution to the Nation’s greatness, but the men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable, especially when that questioning is disinterested, for they determine whether we use power or power uses us.

Great men are simply men and are not to be considered from the point of view of nationality, nor should the environment in which they were brought up be taken into account.

If I were to be president, sometimes I would have to say to the Israeli people things they would not like to hear.

Nationalism is, in my opinion, nothing more than an idealistic rationalization for militarism and aggression.

If my theory of relativity is proven successful, Germany will claim me as a German and France will declare that I am a citizen of the world. Should my theory prove untrue, France will say that I am a German and Germany will declare that I am a Jew.

The word “Jewish” has two meanings: It has to do with (1) nationality and descent; (2) religion. I am a Jew in the first sense but not in the second.

Once did she hold the gorgeous East in fee,

Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour:

We must be free or die, who speak the tongue

‘Shoot, if you must, this old grey head,

The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem.

The land of my fathers. My fathers can have it.

So geographers, in Afric-maps,

I am not Athenian or Greek but a citizen of the world.

It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate or despise him.

You’ll never have a quiet world till you knock the patriotism out of the human race.

You will never find an Englishman in the wrong. He does everything on principle. He

Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.