Mastodawn

PATRIOTISM, n. Combustible rubbish ready to the torch of any one ambitious to illuminate his name. In Dr. Johnson’s famous dictionary patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer I beg to submit that it is the first.

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) American writer and journalist
“Patriotism,” The Devil’s Dictionary (1911)

Sourcing, notes: wist.info/bierce-ambrose/74874…

#quote #quotes #quotation #demagoguery #fame #nationalism #patriot #patriotism #publicity #scoundrel #villain

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WIST Quotations Feb 18

For reference, Dylan is riffing off Samuel Johnson there for the first two lines.

I've seen the last two lines (with a lot of variants) labeled as an "old proverb," a "Japanese proverb," a "Chinese proverb" (e.g., 窃珠者诛，窃国者侯), etc.

Of course, Dylan set them to music. 😄

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WIST Quotations Feb 18

And that encouraged me to research those last two lines, which are actually from an ancient Taoist source (which I just posted, or see here: wist.info/chuangtzu/74879/).

Thanks for the inspiration!

Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzŭ), ch. 10 "Quqie [胠篋; Rifling Trunks]" (3rd C BC) [tr. Graham (1981)] - Chuang Tzu | WIST Quotations

The man who steals a buckle is put to death, the man who steals a state becomes a prince. [竊鉤者誅，竊國者侯 - traditional] [窃钩者诛，窃国者侯 - simplified] (Source (Chinese, traditional; simplified)). Alternate translations: One man steals a purse, and is punished. Another steals a State, and becomes a Prince. [tr. Giles (1889)]…

WIST Quotations