Love, whether newly born, or aroused from a deathlike slumber, must always create sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance, this it overflows upon the outward world.
Nathaniel HawthorneRead
I wonder that we Americans love our country at all, it having no limits and no oneness; and when you try to make it a matter of the heart, everything falls away except one's native State; -neither can you seize hold of that, unless you tear it out of the Union, bleeding and quivering.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the complexities of American national identity and emotional attachment to one’s native state.
Nathaniel Hawthorne muses on the paradox of American patriotism, noting how the vast and diverse nature of the country makes it difficult to feel a singular, heartfelt connection. He suggests that one's true sense of belonging can often be tied to a specific location, which may clash with the concept of a unified nation, ultimately portraying a struggle between personal loyalty and national identity.
Themes
American IdentityPatriotismHomeNational UnityPersonal Connection
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about national unity, one might reflect on the personal nature of state connections using this quote.
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Let men tremble to win the hand of woman, unless they win along with it the utmost passion of her heart! Else it may be their miserable fortune, when some mightier touch than their own may have awakened all her sensibilities, to be reproached even for the calm content, the marble image of happiness, which they will have imposed upon her as the warm reality.
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The thing you set your mind on is the thing you ultimately become.
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