The first and most important thing a man should keep away from is not doing harm of any kind knowingly to anyone, at any time.
ThiruvalluvarRead
Nationalism is like cheap alcohol. First it makes you drunk, then it makes you blind, then it kills you.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Nationalism can intoxicate people with pride but ultimately leads to negative consequences.
In this quote, Daniel Fried uses the metaphor of cheap alcohol to illustrate the seductive yet destructive nature of nationalism. Initially, nationalism can evoke a strong sense of identity and belonging, akin to the euphoria from alcohol, but as it progresses, it can lead to ignorance and harm, mirroring the adverse effects of excessive drinking. The quote warns against the dangers of extreme nationalism that blinds individuals to the realities and complexities of the world, ultimately leading to destructive outcomes.
Themes
NationalismBlindnessDestructionIdentityIntoxication
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on the political climate, one might use this quote to emphasize the dangers of extreme nationalism.
Similar quotes
The most dangerous kind of man is not the one who spent his youth shoving others around. That kind of man gets lazy, and is often too content with his life to be truly dangerous. The man who spent his youth being shoved around, however β¦ When that man gets a little power and authority, he often uses it to become a tyrant on par with the worst warlords in history.
Brandon SandersonRead
Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Religion and science are the two conjugated faces or phases of one and the same complete act of knowledge - the only one which can embrace the past and future of evolution and so contemplate, measure and fulfil them.
Pierre Teilhard De ChardinRead
I turn and turn in my cell like a fly that doesn't know where to die.
Antonio GramsciRead
Mankind today is still making history without having any conscious idea of what it really wants or under what conditions it would stop being unhappy; in fact what it is doing seems to be making itself more unhappy and calling that unhappiness progress.
Norman O. BrownRead