A collection of quotes that highlight how patriotism produces war. Use these to help deconstruct this dangerous ideology.
by Taylor O’Connor | 16 October 2024
Photo by Joe deSousa on Unsplash
I was a kid back in the US when the Gulf War started. I was too young to know what was going on. Looking back I can’t tell if it it was from school, TV, community members, or likely a combination of all these. But there was this patriotic fervor happening that was so overwhelming it is hard for a child not to get wrapped up in it.
The war was exciting. We were the good guys, and it was our duty to get out there and vanquish the enemy. And the enemy was unclear. Mostly it applied to all of the people in Iraq and perhaps even the wider Middle East region. Somehow the patriotic fervor communicated to me that this mysterious enemy was savage and deeply evil. It was confusing, but it didn’t matter. The purpose of the patriotic fervor was not to think. It was to let go, to support the troops, and to vocalize your feelings about how great we are and on the depravity of the enemy. Contributing to the racist and violent rhetoric wrapped up in the American patriotism of the day was somehow important.
As I got older, I met very nice people from Iraq and from other parts of the Middle East. Some became my friends. I realized how the patriotism I experienced in my childhood deceived me. And within me grew a special kind of distain for patriotism, and a need to know those persons whom this patriotism taught me to fear.
Mapping quotes on patriotism and war
If you see my website you notice it I’m all about creative ways to build peace, and ways that regular people from all walks of life can build peace. So, deconstructing patriotism is something that anyone can do. You can deconstruct it inside yourself, help others around you to deconstruct it, and challenge its many manifestations in your culture. So I did a little research to dig up some great quotes to help you do this, to deconstruct the foundations of the ideology of patriotism, to see where it presents itself in your culture, and in yourself, and to recognize the ways that patriotism produces militarism and war.
Key messages in the quotes
Reviewing the quotes for this blog post has provided some great insight to help us deconstruct the ideology of patriotism and highlight its role in militarism and war. Many quotes criticize patriotism and its foundations, while others link it to militarism and war.
Key messages about patriotism from these quotes are summarized below:
- Philosophers and writers across history express disdain for those who blindly identify with patriotism, viewing them as easily manipulated by corrupt leaders.
- Patriotism also restricts individual freedom and rational thought by enforcing arbitrary boundaries.
- Genuine patriotism involves holding the government accountable and advocating for justice rather than blind allegiance.
Key messages from these quotes, explicitly about the link between patriotism and war are summarized here:
- Patriotism is portrayed as a dangerous ideology that fosters a sense of racial superiority and incites violent conflict.
- Governments exploit patriotic sentiments to justify violence and war, framing enemies as threats.
- Those profiting from war often disguise their motivations in patriotic language.
Quotes on patriotism, war and violence
Below you will find 21 quotes on peacebuilding and building peace.
I have split them into three groups:
- Quotes deconstructing patriotism
- Quotes on patriotism, country and government
- Quotes on patriots
- Quotes linking patriotism with militarism and war
Quotes deconstructing patriotism
In my research I found tons of quotes with general critiques on the concept of patriotism. I think it is important to first deconstruct the foundations of patriotism to understand its role in militarism and war. These quotes highlight how patriotism undermines liberty and it prevents people from thinking rationally. It is portrayed as an ideology that confines individuals to arbitrary boundaries, restricting freedom and fostering a dangerous sense of superiority It is portrayed as a tool that enables wrongdoing under the guise of national pride.
“Patriotism assumes that our globe is divided into little spots, each one surrounded by an iron gate.” – Emma Goldman
“Patriotism is a menace to liberty.” – Emma Goldman
“Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons.” – Bertrand Russell
“Patriotism is the conviction that your country is superior to all others because you were born in it.” – George Bernard Shaw
“Professed patriotism may be made the cover for a multitude of sins.” – Robert C. Winthrop
Quotes on patriotism, country and government
Quotes in this section take a critical stance on our common understandings of patriotism as allegiance to government. Many explain that true patriosm about holding one’s government accountable, defending the principles of justice, and opposing war, which is often driven by the state’s interests rather than the people’s.
“Wars throughout history have been waged for conquest and plunder. In the aftermath of war, the victors would write history to glorify their deeds and justify the wars. But war is never justified.” – Marcus Garvey
“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.” – Edward Abbey
“Patriotism means supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.” – Mark Twain
“Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“War is the health of the State. Only when the State is at war does the modern society function with that unity of sentiment, simple uncritical patriotic devotion, cooperation of services, which have always been the ideal of the State lover.” – Randolph Bourne
“I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” – James A. Baldwin
“Patriotism is not obedience to government. Patriotism is obedience to the principles for which government is supposed to stand.” – Howard Zinn
Quotes on patriots
Many philosophers, writers and great thinkers have deep contempt for patriotism, and particulary for patriotic individuals. They criticize patriots for blind loyalty to country and see those whose identity is wrapped up in patriotism as ignorant, foolish individuals with strong moral failings that are easily manipulated by corrupt political leaders.
“Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious.” – Oscar Wilde
“Patriotism is the passion of fools and the most foolish of passions.” – Arthur Schopenhauer
“People who enjoy waving flags don’t deserve to have one” – Banksy
“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 fully suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action! It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.” – Albert Einstein
“Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” – Samuel Johnson
“You’re not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who says it.” – Malcolm X
“Patriotism is usually the refuge of the scoundrel. He is the man who talks the loudest.” – Elbert Hubbard
Quotes linking patriotism with militarism and war
Quotes in this section emphasize patriotism as a dangerous ideology that breeds a sense of racist superiority and produces war. They suggest that governments manipulate patriotic feelings to justify violence and war, framing enemies as threats to national integrity while ignoring the moral implications of their actions. They explain that those who profit from war often cloak their motives in patriotic rhetoric, masking the underlying greed and moral failures that fuel such conflicts.
“The problem with patriotism is that it invariably leads to war.” – Albert Einstein
“The greater the state, the more wrong and cruel its patriotism, and the greater is the sum of suffering upon which its power is founded.” – Leo Tolstoy
“Each nation feels superior to other nations. That breeds patriotism – and wars.” – Dale Carnegie
“The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders… All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism.” – Hermann Göring
“Patriotism is a kind of religion; it is the egg from which wars are hatched.” – Guy de Maupassant
“In wartime, the loudest patriots are the greatest profiteers.” – August Bebel
“The enemy aggressor is always pursuing a course of larceny, murder, rapine, and barbarism. We are always moving forward with high mission, a destiny imposed by the deity to regenerate our victims while incidentally capturing their markets, to civilize savage and senile and paranoidal peoples while blundering accidentally into their oil wells or metal mines.” – John T. Flynn
“To destroy governmental violence, only one thing is needed: It is that people should understand that the feeling of patriotism, which alone supports that instrument of violence, is a rude, harmful, disgraceful, and bad feeling, and, above all, is immoral.” – Leo Tolstoy
“A man who says that no patriot should attack the war until it is over is saying no good son should warn his mother of a cliff until she has fallen.” – G.K. Chesterton
“There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.” – Howard Zinn
“During times of war, hatred becomes quite respectable even though it has to masquerade often under the guise of patriotism.” – Howard Thurman
Deconstruct patriotism in yourself and in the world around you
As we reflect on these powerful words of thinkers, writers, and critics of patriotism, it becomes clear that this ideology isn’t just a simple love of country. It cultivates racism and hatred in the culture, and it is a tool used by political leaders to justify violence and war.
The patriotic fervor I experienced as a child was rooted in ignorance. But we don’t have to accept that narrative. Deconstructing patriotism is not just a theoretical exercise; it’s a practical, everyday task that each of us can take on. By questioning the narratives we’re fed, challenging the blind loyalty to national interests, and opening ourselves up to the truth, we can start to dismantle the connection between patriotism, militarism, and violence. Let these quotes guide and inspire you to recognize the true costs of patriotism, and help you to challenge elements and manifestations of patriotism in your culture, for a more peaceful, just world.
If you like this article, check out my other one that included many more peace quotes: 121 Quotes that Analyze the Nature of War and Violence
Also, if you have a quote that you think I should add to this list, please CLICK HERE to share it with me.
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