Art begins when a man, with a purpose of communicating to other people a feeling he once experienced, calls it up again within himself and expresses it by certain external signs.
Leo TolstoyRead
In our day the feeling of patriotism is an unnatural, irrational, and harmful feeling, and a cause of a great part of the ills from which mankind is suffering, and that, consequently, this feeling - should not be cultivated, as is now being done, but should, on the contrary, be suppressed and eradicated by all means available to rational men.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Patriotism can lead to irrationality and harm, and therefore should be suppressed.
In this quote, Leo Tolstoy critiques the concept of patriotism, suggesting that it is an irrational sentiment that contributes to human suffering. He argues that rather than fostering patriotism, society should work towards diminishing it, as it often leads to divisiveness and conflict, contradicting rational thought and the greater good.
Themes
PatriotismRationalitySufferingHumanityCritique
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about nationalism, this quote can highlight the dangers of extreme patriotism.
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People try to do all sorts of clever and difficult things to improve life instead of doing the simplest, easiest thing-refusing to participate in activities that make life bad.
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It's too easy to criticize a man when he's out of favour, and to make him shoulder the blame for everybody else's mistakes.
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Music is the shorthand of emotion. Emotions, which let themselves be described in words with such difficulty, are directly conveyed to man in music, and in that is its power and significance.
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A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor — such is my idea of happiness.
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