--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." description: "\"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.\" — Howard Zinn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/howard-zinn-576_dissent_dissent-is-the-highest-form-of-patriotis_2970470.jpg" --- # Dissent is the highest form of patriotism. ![“Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” quote by Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/howard-zinn-576_dissent_dissent-is-the-highest-form-of-patriotis_2970470.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/howard-zinn-576_dissent_dissent-is-the-highest-form-of-patriotis_2970470.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/howard-zinn-576_dissent_dissent-is-the-highest-form-of-patriotis_2970470.jpg) > “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Questioning authority is a patriotic duty; dissent protects democracy. **In simple terms:** Dissent protects democracy. Key Takeaway Speak up for change. Themes dissent patriotism democracy Mood critical encouraging Type political philosophical When to use this quote - activism - journalism - education - policy making Key Concepts Political theory civil rights Questions to Reflect On - When have you challenged a popular belief? - How can dissent be expressed safely? A Different Perspective Dissent can be suppressed or ignored. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dissent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissent/) [Dissent Highest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissent-highest-697981/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Form Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form-patriotism-697980/) [Highest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/highest/) [Highest form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/highest-form/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) ## Related quotes > [ Dissent is the highest form of patriotism. \[Misattributed\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/dissent-is-the-highest-form-of-patriotism-misattributed/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [If what your country is doing seems to you practically and morally wrong, is dissent the highest form of patriotism?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/if-what-your-country-is-doing-seems-to-you-practically-and-morally/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [During President George W. Bush's two terms, you couldn't drive far without seeing a particular bumper sticker: Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/during-president-george-w-bush-s-two-terms-you-couldn-t-drive-far/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [During President George W. Bush's two terms, you couldn't drive far without seeing a particular bumper sticker: 'Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/during-president-george-w-bush-s-two-terms-you-couldn-t-drive-far-2/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [The highest form of patriotism is dissent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-dowd/the-highest-form-of-patriotism-is-dissent/) [Matthew Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-dowd/) > [Dissent is the highest form of patriotism, and I intend to continue to push my country to respect the rights of all its citizens.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-sarsour/dissent-is-the-highest-form-of-patriotism-and-i-intend-to-continue-to/) [Linda Sarsour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-sarsour/) > [I love puns. I've been known to turn the car around just to take advantage of a good pun situation. It really is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/i-love-puns-i-ve-been-known-to-turn-the-car-around-just-to-take/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-highest-form-of-worship-is-the-worship-of-unselfish-christian/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [Imitation is the highest form of flattery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/imitation-is-the-highest-form-of-flattery/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [“Silence is the highest form of meditation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/silence-is-the-highest-form-of-meditation/) [sir kristian goldmund aumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/) > [I consider tragedy the highest form of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-consider-tragedy-the-highest-form-of-art/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“Oratory is the highest form of music”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agona-apell/oratory-is-the-highest-form-of-music/) [Agona Apell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agona-apell/) > [The highest art is no art. The highest form is no form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-highest-art-is-no-art-the-highest-form-is-no-form/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [In the wake of Katrina, what you're witnessing and what we are very careful to depict is a form of patriotism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/in-the-wake-of-katrina-what-you-re-witnessing-and-what-we-are-very/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [Our patriotism comes straight from the Romans. This is why French children are encouraged to seek inspiration for it in Corneille. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/our-patriotism-comes-straight-from-the-romans-this-is-why-french/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) ## More by Howard Zinn > [“A black man, Benjamin Banneker, who taught himself mathematics and astronomy, predicted accurately a solar eclipse, and was appointed to plan the new city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/a-black-man-benjamin-banneker-who-taught-himself-mathematics-and/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/there-is-no-flag-large-enough-to-cover-the-shame-of-killing-innocent/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“a good education is a synthesis of book learning and involvement in social action, because each enrich the other. The accumulation of knowledge, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/a-good-education-is-a-synthesis-of-book-learning-and-involvement-in/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [The mountain of history books under which we all stand leans so heavily in the other direction-so tremblingly respectful of states and statesmen and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/the-mountain-of-history-books-under-which-we-all-stand-leans-so/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Let's face a historical truth: we have never had a "free market", we have always had government intervention in the economy, and indeed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/let-s-face-a-historical-truth-we-have-never-had-a-free-market-we-have/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [I can UNDERSTAND pessimism, but I don't BELIEVE in it. It's not simply a matter of faith, but of historical EVIDENCE. Not overwhelming evidence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/i-can-understand-pessimism-but-i-don-t-believe-in-it-it-s-not-simply/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it. It is a corrective to the sluggishness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/protest-beyond-the-law-is-not-a-departure-from-democracy-it-is/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Now I have been studying very closely what happens every day in the courts in Boston, Massachusetts. You would be astounded--maybe you wouldn't, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/now-i-have-been-studying-very-closely-what-happens-every-day-in-the/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [They were not mentioned in the Declaration of Independence, they were absent in the Constitution and they were invisible in the new political democracy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/they-were-not-mentioned-in-the-declaration-of-independence-they-were/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“Sexual purity was to be the special virtue of a woman. It was assumed that men, as a matter of biological nature, would sin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/sexual-purity-was-to-be-the-special-virtue-of-a-woman-it-was-assumed/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“Middle-class Americans might be invited to join a new elite by attacks against the corruption of the established rich. The New Yorker Cadwallader Colden,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/middle-class-americans-might-be-invited-to-join-a-new-elite-by/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [If those in charge of our society - politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television - can dominate our ideas, they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/if-those-in-charge-of-our-society-politicians-corporate-executives/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [We were not born critical of existing society. There was a moment in our lives (or a month, or a year) when certain facts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/we-were-not-born-critical-of-existing-society-there-was-a-moment-in/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Behind the deceptive words designed to entice people into supporting violence -- words like democracy, freedom, self-defense, national security -- there is the reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/behind-the-deceptive-words-designed-to-entice-people-into-supporting/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“George Washington had turned down the requests of blacks, seeking freedom, to fight in the Revolutionary army. So when the British military commander in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/george-washington-had-turned-down-the-requests-of-blacks-seeking/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) [Explore all 461 Howard Zinn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) ## More Dissent quotes > [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/majority-decisions-tend-to-be-made-without-engaging-the-systematic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you want to live a meaningfully better life, you're going to have to make the dangerous choice to dissent. A life lived meaningfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/if-you-want-to-live-a-meaningfully-better-life-you-re-going-to-have/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/never-be-afraid-to-raise-your-voice-for-honesty-and-truth-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [I find myself frequently placed where I dare give neither assent nor dissent to propositions that are submitted to me; for there is danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-g-white/i-find-myself-frequently-placed-where-i-dare-give-neither-assent-nor/) [Ellen G. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-g-white/) > [The original crime of niggers and lesbians is that they prefer themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/the-original-crime-of-niggers-and-lesbians-is-that-they-prefer/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [It is dissent from government policies which defines the true Patriot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/it-is-dissent-from-government-policies-which-defines-the-true-patriot/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [In America, you can segregate the people, but the problems will travel. From slavery to equal rights, from state suppression of dissent to crime,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/in-america-you-can-segregate-the-people-but-the-problems-will-travel/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [America was born of revolt, flourished in dissent, became great through experimentation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/america-was-born-of-revolt-flourished-in-dissent-became-great-through/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [“I am aware that many object to the severity of my language; but is there not cause for severity? I will be as harsh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lloyd-garrison/i-am-aware-that-many-object-to-the-severity-of-my-language-but-is/) [William Lloyd Garrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lloyd-garrison/) > [In religion, it is not the sycophants or those who cling most faithfully to the status quo who are ultimately praised. It is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/in-religion-it-is-not-the-sycophants-or-those-who-cling-most/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [“Protection, therefore, against tyranny of the magistrate is not enough: there needs protection also against the tyranny of the prevailing opinion and feeling; against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/protection-therefore-against-tyranny-of-the-magistrate-is-not-enough/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [The intolerant man will not rely on persuasion, or on the worth of the idea. He would deny to others the very freedom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kennedy/the-intolerant-man-will-not-rely-on-persuasion-or-on-the-worth-of-the/) [Robert Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kennedy/) > [“That there must be heresies is true, not onely in our Church, but also in any other; even in Doctrines hereticall there will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/that-there-must-be-heresies-is-true-not-onely-in-our-church-but-also/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [In sum, the Court's conclusion that a constitutionally adequate recount is impractical is a prophecy the Court's own judgment will not allow to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/in-sum-the-court-s-conclusion-that-a-constitutionally-adequate/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [Lonely dissent doesn't feel like going to school dressed in black. It feels like going to school wearing a clown suit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/lonely-dissent-doesn-t-feel-like-going-to-school-dressed-in-black-it/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) [Browse all 440 Dissent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissent/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Howard Zinn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/dissent-is-the-highest-form-of-patriotism/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dissent" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/dissent-is-the-highest-form-of-patriotism/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/howard-zinn-576_dissent_dissent-is-the-highest-form-of-patriotis_2970470.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/howard-zinn-576_dissent_dissent-is-the-highest-form-of-patriotis_2970470.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/howard-zinn-576_dissent_dissent-is-the-highest-form-of-patriotis_2970470.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” — Howard Zinn", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Howard Zinn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Dissent is the highest form of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/dissent-is-the-highest-form-of-patriotism/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/dissent-is-the-highest-form-of-patriotism/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```