These days it’s much easier to find a negative rather than a positive quote about patriotism:
“Patriot, the person who can holler without knowing what he is hollering about.”
“Each nation feels superior to other nations. That breeds patriotism and war.”
“Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons.”
“One of the great attractions of patriotism – it fulfils our worst wishes. In the person of our nation we are able, vicariously, to bully and cheat. Bully and cheat, what’s more with a feeling that we are profoundly virtuous.” …….and so forth. A few of these quotes are ancient.
For many, patriotism is brutal, injurious and inhumane, like a superstition artificially created and maintained through a network of lies and falsehoods. It’s something that robs man of his self-esteem and dignity and increases his arrogance and deceit. Some claim it to be an outdated concept, archaic, even reactionary.
Webster’s dictionary puts a different spin on it. Patriot: a person who loves his country and zealously supports and defends it and its interests; one who is directed by zeal for public safety and welfare. This gives it a rather narrow but still a positive, perhaps old-fashioned colouring. Wikipedia, probably the source of the most recent, widely accepted definition has a similar perspective on the concept: A patriot is someone who feels a strong support for their country.(Loe pikemalt Eesti Elu 13. dets. paberlehest)