“Citizenship? We have none! In place of it we teach patriotism which Samuel Johnson said a hundred and forty or a hundred and fifty years ago was the last refuge of the scoundrel -- and I believe that he was right. I remember when I was a boy and I heard repeated time and time again the phrase, 'My country, right or wrong, my country!' How absolutely absurd is such an idea. How absolutely absurd to teach this idea to the youth of the country.”
True Citizenship at the Children's Theater 1907
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Mark Twain637
American author and humorist 1835–1910Related quotes
Walt Disney (1901–1966) American film producer and businessman
As quoted in The Magic Kingdom : Walt Disney and the American Way of Life (2001) by Steven Watts, p. 401
Carl Schurz (1829–1906) Union Army general, politician
Remarks in the Senate http://www.bartleby.com/73/1641.html (29 February 1872) He was here responding to the famous slogan derived from a statement of Stephen Decatur: "Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong."
Nasreddin (1208–1284) philosopher, Sufi and wise man from Turkey, remembered for his funny stories and anecdotes
Nasruddin said, "I am a man of consistency. Once forty, I remain forty always. When I have answered once, I have answered forever! You cannot lead me astray. I am forty, and whenever you ask you will get the same answer."
Osho, And The Flowers Showered (2003), ISBN 817182210X, p. 204
Nasreddin (1208–1284) philosopher, Sufi and wise man from Turkey, remembered for his funny stories and anecdotes
Osho, And The Flowers Showered (2003), , p. 204
“How can you govern a country that has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?”
Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970) eighteenth President of the French Republic
Comment voulez-vous gouverner un pays qui a deux cent quarante-six variétés de fromage?
Les Mots du Général, Ernest Mignon, 1962
Fifth Republic and other post-WW2
Sheikh Hasina (1947) Prime Minister of Bangladesh
At the UN general assembly to launch the sustainable development goals (SDGs). https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/sep/25/sheikh-hasina-i-want-to-make-bangladesh-poverty-free-sustainable-development-goals (25 September 2015)
Wesley Clark (1944) American general and former Democratic Party presidential candidate
Interview with Bill Maher, on Real Time with Bill Maher (5 September 2003) http://www.safesearching.com/billmaher/print/t_hbo_realtime_090503.htm
Enoch Powell (1912–1998) British politician
the first sentence was Powell's own quotation from one of his constituents.
The 'Rivers of Blood' speech