Quotes: When patriotism intensifies

Some old quotes I collected on this topic, years ago.

What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times? ... A patriotism that puts country ahead of self; a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime. There are words that are easy to utter, but this is a mighty assignment. For it is often easier to fight for principles than to live up to them.
Adlai Stevenson. New York, August 27, 1952. Quoted in Sen. J. William Fulbright. The Arrogance of Power. New York: Vintage Books, 1966. p. 23.

Let him begin by treating patriotism...as a part of his religion. Then let him, under the influence of partisan spirit, come to regard it as the most important part.
The demon Screwtape explaining how to mislead a Christian, in The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. Quoted by David Kuo. Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction. New York: Free Press, 2006. p. 57.

...the author comes to the conclusion that there are two Americas. One is the America of Abraham Lincoln and Adlai Stevenson; the other is the America of Theodore Roosevelt and the modern superpatriots. Or to put it another way, two strands have coexisted in American history: "a dominant strand of democratic humanism and a lesser but durable strand of intolerant puritanism."
Francis O. Wilcox. Preface to Sen. J. William Fulbright. The Arrogance of Power. New York: Vintage Books, 1966. p. x.

There are two Americas. One is the America of Lincoln and Adlai Stevenson; the other is the America of Teddy Roosevelt and the modern superpatriots. One is generous and humane, the other narrowly egotistical; one is self-critical, the other self-righteous; one is sensible, the other romantic; one is good-humored, the other solemn; one is inquiring, the other pontificating; one is moderate, the other filled with passionate intensity; one is judicious and the other arrogant in the use of great power.
Sen. J. William Fulbright. The Arrogance of Power. New York: Vintage Books, 1966. p. 245.

The intensity of a Scottish boy's patriotism, reared as I was, constitutes a real force in his life to the very end. If the source of my stock of that prime article — courage — were studied, I am sure the final analysis would find it founded upon Wallace, the hero of Scotland.
Andrew Carnegie. The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie and his essay The Gospel of Wealth. New York: Signet Classics, 2006. Autobiography, p. 21.

Patriotism, as we have recently come to understand it, rarely contemplates the nation's endangered young. Today's so-called "patriotism," with its obsessive loathing of taxation and deep suspicion of communal responsibility, is more an exercise in getting one's own.
"Real patriotism is about reclaiming our children." Ron Powers, special to CNN. July 4, 2011.

In an interconnected world, when you serve your community, you serve your country. Our longstanding sense of charity and humanity -- particularly outside of the government -- is one of the things that have made us a great country. And, in the 21st century, that is more essential than ever. Not just because it makes us a better example to others in the world and helps restore our all-important moral credibility, but most importantly, because it makes us better examples to ourselves. Citizenship is not residence, and patriotism isn't something you feel or put on a bumper sticker -- it's something you do, for others.
"National Service Day." Ret. Col. Christopher Holshek. Nov. 11, 2011. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-holshek/national-service-day_b_1086206.html