Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel

Samuel Johnson was a curious man. One of his greatest innovations was to include plenty of illustrative literary quotations to show how words were used. He was, though, a strange fellow.

Samuel Johnson 18 September [ O. Johnson was known as a staunch Tory or was thought not to be active within politics; his political writings were subsequently disregarded and neglected. Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson is partly to blame. Boswell did not meet Johnson until later in life and was unable to discuss how politics affected Johnson during his early years. Two periods, Robert Walpole 's control over British Parliament and the Seven Years' War , were Johnson's most active periods and are the source for much of his early writings. Although Boswell was present with Johnson during the s and described four major pamphlets written by Johnson, he neglected to discuss them because he is more interested in their travels to Scotland. That is compounded by the fact that Boswell held an opinion contradictory to two of the pamphlets, The False Alarm and Taxation No Tyranny , and so he attacked Johnson's views in his biography [1] —including Johnson's attacks on slavery.

Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel

Samuel Johnson? James Boswell? Samuel Maunder? Henry F. Bernard J. Dear Quote Investigator: A politician whose popularity is dropping may attempt to recapture acceptance by disingenuously embracing jingoistic patriotism. Here are three versions of a germane saying:. Would you please help me to identify an accurate version of this saying together with the identity of its creator? Quote Investigator: Lexicographer Samuel Johnson was a celebrated eighteenth-century man of letters. I maintained, that certainly all patriots were not scoundrels.

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What does patriotism mean in the 21st Century, asks novelist Will Self. One of that great phrase-maker Samuel Johnson's most famous remarks was: "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel". This bon mot was noted down by Johnson's amanuensis, Boswell, as was his inveterate habit. However, uncharacteristically, he failed to note the context. One thing we can be certain of - Johnson by no means intended by this that patriotism was an ignoble emotion. What he meant was that the scoundrel, having worn all other cloaks of virtue until they are threadbare, dons the patriotic one to hide his shamelessness. Johnson himself was a great patriot, and one of the most affecting incidents in his life came towards its end, when George III invited the great lexicographer into his own library so he could practise regal reading habits.

Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel

Samuel Johnson was a curious man. One of his greatest innovations was to include plenty of illustrative literary quotations to show how words were used. He was, though, a strange fellow. He collected orange peel, but refused to tell anyone — even his trusty biographer, James Boswell — what he was doing with it all. He also reportedly liked to drink up to 25 cups of tea in one sitting.

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That was well before the heyday of the British abolitionist movement , and he once proposed a toast to the "next rebellion of the negroes in the West Indies ". William Pitt the Elder — who would later become Prime Minister himself — became a prominent member of the Patriot Party. Priya 3, books view quotes. Mason of Garden City, delivered at … Continue reading. Different versions have evolved during the ensuing decades and centuries. Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive. Cristina books view quotes. Michael72 0 books view quotes. Join Goodreads. Shubham 68 books view quotes. Jun 15, AM. Nov 03, AM. Welcome back.

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Dec 19, AM. Feb 19, AM. Jan 06, AM. Dear Quote Investigator: A politician whose popularity is dropping may attempt to recapture acceptance by disingenuously embracing jingoistic patriotism. He employed a free black manservant, the Jamaican Francis Barber , whom Johnson made his heir. Jul 07, PM. Special thanks to Carl Rosin who remarked that labor activist Eugene V. Sep 10, AM. Download as PDF Printable version. The last of the pamphlets, Taxation No Tyranny , was a defence of the Coercive Acts and a response to the Declaration of Rights of the First Continental Congress of America, which protested against taxation without representation. The group was formed in opposition to the ministry of Robert Walpole, the first de facto Prime Minister of Britain. HR books view quotes. Feb 11, PM. Erkam 1, books view quotes.