Words of Patriotism
Thanks for stopping by! I wish you and yours the very best July 4th Holiday! I could ramble on and on about my love of country, the hard-scrabble immigrants in my family history, or those who have proudly served our nation in uniform. I could lament the changes in attitudes and social mores that have come about, not quite unexpectedly, as consequence of our development over several hundred years as a fearsome departure from the “way things used to be.” Instead, I’ll share some views on patriotism from those I’d expect to be far more qualified than this broadcaster. There are some wise words here, for this time and all times.
Bobby Picks Some Patriotic Quotations
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
— Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence: July 4, 1776
“America is a passionate idea or it is nothing. America is a human brotherhood or it is chaos.”
— Max Lerner, Actions and Passions: 1949
“What is the essence of America? Finding and maintaining that perfect, delicate balance between freedom “to” and freedom “from.”
— Marilyn vos Savant, Parade (Ask Marilyn): July 17, 2005
“A thoughtful mind, when it sees a Nation’s flag, sees not the flag only, but the Nation itself; and whatever may be its symbols, its insignia, he reads chiefly in the flag the Government, the principles, the truths, the history which belongs to the Nation that sets it forth.”
— Henry Ward Beecher, The American Flag: 1861
“And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
— John F Kennedy, Inauguration Address: January 20, 1961
“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”
— Patrick Henry, Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death: March 23, 1775
“We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.”
— Barack Obama, One Voice Can Change a Room: December 9, 2007
“A man’s country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle; and patriotism is loyalty to that principle.”
— George William Curtis, Union College, Schenectady, NY Speech: July 20, 1857
“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”
–Harry Truman
“Patriotism… is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.”
— Adlai Stevenson, American Legion Convention Speech: August 27, 1952
“America is a tune. It must be sung together.”
— Gerald Stanley Lee, Crowds – A Moving-Picture of Democracy: 1913
