--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The president is a nationalist, which is…" description: "\"“The president is a nationalist, which is not at all the same thing as a patriot. A nationalist encourages us to be our worst, and then tells us that w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/timothy-snyder-882_authoritarianism_the-president-is-a-nationalist-which-is_1817942.jpg" --- # The president is a nationalist, which is not at all the… ![“The president is a nationalist, which is not at all the same thing as a patriot. A nationalist encourages us to be our worst, and then tells us that we are the best. A nationalist, 'although endlessly brooding on power, victory, defeat, revenge,' wrote Orwell, tends to be 'uninterested in what…” quote by Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/timothy-snyder-882_authoritarianism_the-president-is-a-nationalist-which-is_1817942.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/timothy-snyder-882_authoritarianism_the-president-is-a-nationalist-which-is_1817942.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/timothy-snyder-882_authoritarianism_the-president-is-a-nationalist-which-is_1817942.jpg) > ““The president is a nationalist, which is not at all the same thing as a patriot. A nationalist encourages us to be our worst, and then tells us that we are the best. A nationalist, 'although endlessly brooding on power, victory, defeat, revenge,' wrote Orwell, tends to be 'uninterested in what happens in the real world.' Nationalism is relativist, since the only truth is the resentment we feel when we contemplate others. As the novelist Danilo Kiš put it, nationalism 'has no universal values, aesthetic or ethical.' A patriot, by contrast, wants the nation to live up to its ideals, which means asking us to be our best selves. A patriot must be concerned with the real world, which is the only place where his country can be loved and sustained. A patriot has universal values, standards by which he judges his nation, always wishing it well—and wishing that it would do better.”” [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nationalism glorifies a nation's power while ignoring ethical standards, whereas patriotism seeks to improve the nation according to universal values and real‑world concerns. **In simple terms:** Nationalism praises power; patriotism seeks moral improvement. Key Takeaway Critique nationalism, embrace principled patriotism. Themes politics ethics national identity leadership Mood critical reflective thoughtful Type analytical philosophical political When to use this quote - political speeches - educational curricula - community organizing - media commentary Key Concepts nationalism patriotism universal values real‑world engagement Questions to Reflect On - How does patriotism differ from nationalism in practice? - What universal values should guide a nation's aspirations? A Different Perspective Nationalism can also inspire unity and collective action, which may be positive if directed toward inclusive goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authoritarianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authoritarianism/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [George-orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/george-orwell/) [Ideals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideals/) [Nationalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nationalism/) [Nationalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nationalist/) [Nationalists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nationalists/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [Tyranny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyranny/) ## Related quotes > [“same thing as a patriot. A nationalist encourages us to be our worst, and then tells us that we are the best. A nationalist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/same-thing-as-a-patriot-a-nationalist-encourages-us-to-be-our-worst/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Nationalism is relativist, since the only truth is the resentment we feel when we contemplate others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/nationalism-is-relativist-since-the-only-truth-is-the-resentment-we/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“A nationalist encourages us to be our worst, and then tells us that we are the best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/a-nationalist-encourages-us-to-be-our-worst-and-then-tells-us-that-we/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“More than half a century ago, the classic novels of totalitarianism warned of the domination of screens, the suppression of books, the narrowing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/more-than-half-a-century-ago-the-classic-novels-of-totalitarianism/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Democracy failed in Europe in the 1920s, '30s, and '40s, and it is failing not only in much of Europe but in many parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/democracy-failed-in-europe-in-the-1920s-30s-and-40s-and-it-is-failing/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“I want to give just a slight indication of the influence the book has had. I knew that George Orwell , in his second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-want-to-give-just-a-slight-indication-of-the-influence-the-book-has/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“We were keeping our eye on 1984. When the year came and the prophecy didn't, thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/we-were-keeping-our-eye-on-1984-when-the-year-came-and-the-prophecy/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“If you can feel that staying human is worth while, even when it can't have any result whatever, you've beaten them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-you-can-feel-that-staying-human-is-worth-while-even-when-it-can-t-2/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“There were things, your own acts, from which you could never recover. Something was killed in your breast: burnt out, cauterized out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/there-were-things-your-own-acts-from-which-you-could-never-recover/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“And I wonder, therefore, how James Atlas can have been so indulgent in his recent essay ‘The Changing World of New York Intellectuals.’ This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/and-i-wonder-therefore-how-james-atlas-can-have-been-so-indulgent-in/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“I fear no hell, just as I expect no heaven. Nabokov summed up a nonbeliever’s view of the cosmos, and our place in it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-tayler/i-fear-no-hell-just-as-i-expect-no-heaven-nabokov-summed-up-a/) [Jeffrey Tayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-tayler/) > [“About these developments George Orwell , in Nineteen Eighty-Four , was quite wrong. He described a new kind of state and police tyranny, under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lukacs/about-these-developments-george-orwell-in-nineteen-eighty-four-was/) [John Lukacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lukacs/) > [“I'm not interested in the next generation, dear. I'm interested in us .' - Julia”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/i-m-not-interested-in-the-next-generation-dear-i-m-interested-in-us/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“What we are confronted with now is the problem posed by the economic and symbolic structure of television. Those who run television do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/what-we-are-confronted-with-now-is-the-problem-posed-by-the-economic/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that Comrade Napoleon has made in taking this extra labour upon himself. Do not imagine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/i-trust-that-every-animal-here-appreciates-the-sacrifice-that-comrade/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) ## More by Timothy Snyder > [“Nationalism is relativist, since the only truth is the resentment we feel when we contemplate others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/nationalism-is-relativist-since-the-only-truth-is-the-resentment-we/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“The time is out of joint. O cursed spite,/That ever I was born to set it right!” Thus Hamlet. Yet he concludes: “Nay, come,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-time-is-out-of-joint-o-cursed-spite-that-ever-i-was-born-to-set/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“the democracies that arose after the First World War (and the Second) often collapsed when a single party seized power in some combination of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-democracies-that-arose-after-the-first-world-war-and-the-second/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“salami tactics—slicing off layers of opposition one by one. Most people were distracted, some were imprisoned, and others were outmatched.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/salami-tactics-slicing-off-layers-of-opposition-one-by-one-most/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“We allowed ourselves to accept the politics of inevitability, the sense that history could move in only one direction: toward liberal democracy...We imbibed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/we-allowed-ourselves-to-accept-the-politics-of-inevitability-the/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“The key to this translation of ideology to politics in both cases was an effective appeal to human experience at the crucial time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-key-to-this-translation-of-ideology-to-politics-in-both-cases-was/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Both of these positions, inevitability and eternity, are antihistorical. The only thing that stands between them is history itself. History allows us to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/both-of-these-positions-inevitability-and-eternity-are-antihistorical/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“The whole notion of disruption is adolescent: It assumes that after the teenagers make a mess, the adults will come and clean it up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-whole-notion-of-disruption-is-adolescent-it-assumes-that-after/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“As she observed, “the first essential step on the road to total domination is to kill the juridical person in man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/as-she-observed-the-first-essential-step-on-the-road-to-total/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“The first mode is the open hostility to verifiable reality, which takes the form of presenting inventions and lies as if they were facts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-first-mode-is-the-open-hostility-to-verifiable-reality-which/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Once we subliminally accept that we are watching a reality show rather than thinking about real life, no image can actually hurt the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/once-we-subliminally-accept-that-we-are-watching-a-reality-show/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Confidence in duration is the antidote to panic and the tonic of demagogy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/confidence-in-duration-is-the-antidote-to-panic-and-the-tonic-of/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Be calm when the unthinkable arrives. Modern tyranny is terror management. When the terrorist attack comes, remember that authoritarians exploit such events in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/be-calm-when-the-unthinkable-arrives-modern-tyranny-is-terror/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Life is political, not because the world cares about how you feel, but because the world reacts to what you do. The minor choices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/life-is-political-not-because-the-world-cares-about-how-you-feel-but/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Extremism' certainly sounds bad, and governments often try to make it sound worse by using the word 'terrorism' in the same sentence. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/extremism-certainly-sounds-bad-and-governments-often-try-to-make-it/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) [Explore all 339 Timothy Snyder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) ## More Authoritarianism quotes > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“The mission is, not to replace old world mindlessness with new world mindlessness, but to put an end to all forms of brainless authoritarianism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-mission-is-not-to-replace-old-world-mindlessness-with-new-world/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Motherland is our property and we have right to handle our properties as pleased. The jokes about death for the sake of the motherland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/motherland-is-our-property-and-we-have-right-to-handle-our-properties/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [Your best friends are your principles, if you havent them, dont look for another friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/your-best-friends-are-your-principles-if-you-havent-them-dont-look/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [A strong saying is not afraid of criticism, because it includes all the answers to criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/a-strong-saying-is-not-afraid-of-criticism-because-it-includes-all/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“Therapy requires a collaborative working relationship in which both partners act on the basis of their implicit confidence in the value and efficacy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/therapy-requires-a-collaborative-working-relationship-in-which-both/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [The libertarian can have no truck with 'left' or 'right' because he regrets any form of authoritarianism - the use of police force to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-read/the-libertarian-can-have-no-truck-with-left-or-right-because-he/) [Leonard Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-read/) > [A noble person stands up as though a theater curtain rises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/a-noble-person-stands-up-as-though-a-theater-curtain-rises/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“Democracy can exist only in the countries where people are brave! Coward nations always live under the authoritarian regimes!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/democracy-can-exist-only-in-the-countries-where-people-are-brave/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“I have been called arrogant myself in my time, and hope to earn the title again, but to claim that I am privy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-have-been-called-arrogant-myself-in-my-time-and-hope-to-earn-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [We have power... Our power isn’t in a political system, or a religious system, or in an economic system, or in a military system;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-trudell/we-have-power-our-power-isn-t-in-a-political-system-or-a-religious/) [John Trudell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-trudell/) > [The practical reason for freedom is that freedom seems to be the only condition under which any kind of substantial moral fiber can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-j-nock/the-practical-reason-for-freedom-is-that-freedom-seems-to-be-the-only/) [Albert J. Nock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-j-nock/) > [It has been well over half a century and I'm glad to say we have taken the right path from authoritarianism to democracy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chen-shui-bian/it-has-been-well-over-half-a-century-and-i-m-glad-to-say-we-have/) [Chen Shui-bian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chen-shui-bian/) > [Subconsciously it is possible to act, consciously it is possible to decide and overconsciously to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/subconsciously-it-is-possible-to-act-consciously-it-is-possible-to/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [We must nevertheless present all possible interpretations for each observation, so that competing theories can be formulated and defended. In science, as elsewhere, intellectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-reeves/we-must-nevertheless-present-all-possible-interpretations-for-each/) Hubert Reeves [Browse all 233 Authoritarianism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authoritarianism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The president is a nationalist, which is not at all the same thing as a patriot. A nationalist encourages us to be our worst, and then tells us that we are the best. A nationalist, 'although endlessly brooding on power, victory, defeat, revenge,' wrote Orwell, tends to be 'uninterested in what happens in the real world.' Nationalism is relativist, since the only truth is the resentment we feel when we contemplate others. As the novelist Danilo Kiš put it, nationalism 'has no universal values, aesthetic or ethical.' A patriot, by contrast, wants the nation to live up to its ideals, which means asking us to be our best selves. A patriot must be concerned with the real world, which is the only place where his country can be loved and sustained. A patriot has universal values, standards by which he judges his nation, always wishing it well—and wishing that it would do better.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Timothy Snyder" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-president-is-a-nationalist-which-is-not-at-all-the-same-thing-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authoritarianism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-president-is-a-nationalist-which-is-not-at-all-the-same-thing-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/timothy-snyder-882_authoritarianism_the-president-is-a-nationalist-which-is_1817942.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/timothy-snyder-882_authoritarianism_the-president-is-a-nationalist-which-is_1817942.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/timothy-snyder-882_authoritarianism_the-president-is-a-nationalist-which-is_1817942.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The president is a nationalist, which is not at all the same thing as a patriot. A nationalist encourages us…” — Timothy Snyder", "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": "Timothy Snyder", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The president is a nationalist, which...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-president-is-a-nationalist-which-is-not-at-all-the-same-thing-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-president-is-a-nationalist-which-is-not-at-all-the-same-thing-as/#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 } } ] } ```