In honor of the nation’s 247th birthday, the editorial board presents a selection of quotations about patriotism and citizenship to consider over the holiday with our wishes for a fun and safe Independence Day celebration.
“Patriotism is easy to understand in America. It means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country. In no other nation on earth does this principle have such complete application. … Patriotism does not mean a regard for some special section or an attachment for some special interest, and a narrow prejudice against other sections and other interests; it means a love of the whole country.” — President Calvin Coolidge, from his “The Destiny Of America” address in Northampton, Massachusetts, on May 30, 1923.
“O beautiful for heroes proved / In liberating strife / Who more than self their country loved / And mercy more than life! / America! America! / May God thy gold refine / Till all success be nobleness / And every gain divine!” — Katherine Lee Bates, from the revised version of “America the Beautiful,” published in 1911.
“Our democracy must be not only the envy of the world but the engine of our own renewal. There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.” — President Bill Clinton, from his first inaugural address on Jan. 20, 1993.
“It is entirely possible to live out an entire life without experiencing the civic protections which can become so contingently vital to us at vital moments. Even if we never need the help of the courts, or of the policeman, or of the Bill of Rights, that they are there for us in the event of need distinguishes our society from others. … This enjoyment, this answering of needs, can make us proud of our country — and put us in its debt.” — William F. Buckley, from “Reflections on service and citizenship,” published in 1990.
“I would not take my patriotism from my neighbor or from Congress. I should teach the children in the schools that there are certain ideals, and one of them is that all men are created free and equal. Another that the proper government is that which exists by the consent of the governed.” — Mark Twain, from his address to the Male Teachers Association of the City of New York on March 16, 1901.
“The American institutions are democratic, not only in their principle but in all their consequences; and the people elects its representatives directly, and for the most part annually, in order to ensure their dependence. … it is evident that the opinions, the prejudices, the interests, and even the passions of the community are hindered by no durable obstacles from exercising a perpetual influence on society.” — Alexis de Tocqueville, from “Democracy in America,” published in 1835.
“There are men among us who use ‘patriotism’ as a club for attacking other Americans. What can we say for the self-styled patriot who thinks that a Negro, a Jew, a Catholic, or a Japanese-American is less an American than he? That betrays the deepest article of our faith, the belief in individual liberty and equality which has always been the heart and soul of the American idea.” — Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson, from his “The Nature of Patriotism” address to the American Legion Convention in New York on Aug. 27, 1952.
“All great change in America begins at the dinner table. So, tomorrow night in the kitchen I hope the talking begins. And children, if your parents haven’t been teaching you what it means to be an American, let ’em know and nail ’em on it. That would be a very American thing to do.” — President Ronald Reagan, from his “Farewell Address to the Nation” on Jan. 11, 1989.
“Our nation has not always lived up to its ideals — yet those ideals have never ceased to guide us. They expose our flaws, and lead us to mend them. We are the beneficiaries of the work of the generations before us, and it is each generation’s responsibility to continue that work.” — First Lady Laura Bush, from her address to the Republican National Convention in New York on Aug. 31, 2004.
