Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel

Samuel Johnson?

Samuel Johnson was a curious man. One of his greatest innovations was to include plenty of illustrative literary quotations to show how words were used. He was, though, a strange fellow. He collected orange peel, but refused to tell anyone — even his trusty biographer, James Boswell — what he was doing with it all. He also reportedly liked to drink up to 25 cups of tea in one sitting. This line is often interpreted as being a denunciation of patriotism per se , and has frequently been used by people who wish to dismiss any form of national pride.

Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel

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One of his greatest innovations was to include plenty of illustrative literary quotations to show how words were used.

Samuel Johnson 18 September [ O. Johnson was known as a staunch Tory or was thought not to be active within politics; his political writings were subsequently disregarded and neglected. Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson is partly to blame. Boswell did not meet Johnson until later in life and was unable to discuss how politics affected Johnson during his early years. Two periods, Robert Walpole 's control over British Parliament and the Seven Years' War , were Johnson's most active periods and are the source for much of his early writings.

Samuel Johnson was a curious man. One of his greatest innovations was to include plenty of illustrative literary quotations to show how words were used. He was, though, a strange fellow. He collected orange peel, but refused to tell anyone — even his trusty biographer, James Boswell — what he was doing with it all. He also reportedly liked to drink up to 25 cups of tea in one sitting. This line is often interpreted as being a denunciation of patriotism per se , and has frequently been used by people who wish to dismiss any form of national pride. Using the authority of Johnson and his weighty apophthegm is simply a way to prop up this rather simplistic view. That may not make any significant difference to the meaning, but the context does shed a different light on what Johnson meant:. Boswell tells us that Samuel Johnson made this famous pronouncement that patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel on the evening of April 7,

Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel

Samuel Johnson 18 September [ O. Johnson was known as a staunch Tory or was thought not to be active within politics; his political writings were subsequently disregarded and neglected. Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson is partly to blame. Boswell did not meet Johnson until later in life and was unable to discuss how politics affected Johnson during his early years. Two periods, Robert Walpole 's control over British Parliament and the Seven Years' War , were Johnson's most active periods and are the source for much of his early writings. Although Boswell was present with Johnson during the s and described four major pamphlets written by Johnson, he neglected to discuss them because he is more interested in their travels to Scotland. That is compounded by the fact that Boswell held an opinion contradictory to two of the pamphlets, The False Alarm and Taxation No Tyranny , and so he attacked Johnson's views in his biography [1] —including Johnson's attacks on slavery. Boswell was not the only reason for Johnson to be disregarded as a political thinker. Thomas Babington Macaulay tried to promote the belief that Johnson's political thoughts were nonsensical and the writings of a bigot. In , he printed The Patriot , a critique of what he viewed as false patriotism.

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Thomas Babington Macaulay tried to promote the belief that Johnson's political thoughts were nonsensical and the writings of a bigot. Mohammed 26 books view quotes. Samuel Johnson 18 September [ O. Adrian 2 books view quotes. Jun 15, AM. Jan 30, AM. Daniel 8 books view quotes. Chris books view quotes. Feb 11, PM. James Boswell? Carmen books view quotes. Aug 01, PM. Learn more. Mar 27, PM.

The quote "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel" by Samuel Johnson is a thought-provoking statement that calls into question the sincerity and motives of those who use patriotism as a shield for their questionable actions.

Mathias 2, books view quotes. Jul 07, PM. Type your email… Subscribe. Sep 06, PM. Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. Continue reading. Matthew 1, books view quotes. Ray 2, books view quotes. William Pitt the Elder — who would later become Prime Minister himself — became a prominent member of the Patriot Party. Samuel Johnson was a curious man. Abhilash books view quotes.