Patriotism Is Fear

No, I don't mean love, when I say patriotism. I mean fear. The fear of the other. And its expressions are political, not poetical: hate, rivalry, aggression. It grows in us, that fear. It grows in us year by year.

Estraven The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) by Ursula K. Le Guin

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Context: Over dinner, Estraven asks Genly Ai whether he knows what patriotism is.

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Source: Chapter 1, "A Parade in Erhenrang"

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