Patriotism is sometimes stimulated by religious enthusiasm, and then it is capable of prodigious efforts. It is in itself a kind of religion: it does not reason, but it acts from the impulse of faith and sentiment.

Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) French writer, diplomat, politician
Democracy in America, 1.14 (1835) [tr. Reeve and Brown (1862)]

 
Added on 21-Dec-11 | Last updated 11-Feb-13
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