History Quotes / MyCountryRightOrWrong

!!{{Comics Book}}s

!!WesternAnimation]]

-''>But you know as well as I, patriotism is a word; and one that generally comes to mean either my country, right or wrong, which is infamous, or my country is always right, which is imbecile.''

->''"The United States doesn't need me to dictate, or worse, ''deprive'' her people of that most precious gift. The freedom of ''choice''. Even when I knew in my heart that choice was '''wrong."

!!{{Literature]]}}

!!LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:Anime & Manga]]

->''" It is not a soldier's duty to make policy. I follow my orders."''

[[AC:Comics books]]

->The world will ''never'' know how I struggled with the decision to '''stay out''' of the electorial process. Should I have gone on television and told the voters ''not'' to elect [[ComicBook/LexLuthor this man?]] And what then? If I use my ''influence'' -- my ''character'' and my ''reputation'' -- to tell people how to vote, what does that make me? I choose to fight for Truth, Justice and the American Way. And for all it's flaws, American democracy ''does'' work... The United States doesn't need me to dictate, or worse, ''deprive'' her people of that most precious gift. The freedom of ''choice''. Even when I knew in my heart that choice was '''wrong'''.
-->-- Franchise/{{Superman}}, ''Comicbook/SupermanBatman: Public Enemies''

[[AC:Film--Live-action]]

[[AC:Literature]]

->Because today I am on state business, and I have no inclination to let private friendship override my public duty.

->In the finer moments of [Col Slana's] life he had marked out in his imagination a death for himself, a death that would come to him in service to a monarchy which, in his mind, had the sanctity of a superstition. Rights and wrongs--he had nothing to do with these. Alexander may have ruled wisely or with the hand of a tyrant, for this he had no care. It was not the hour of judgment, but of duty; the yielding up of life that those who came after him and bore his name might yet place a laurel to his memory in sincerity.
-->-- '''On Col Slana''', a [[{{UsefulNotes/Serbia}} Serbian Obrenovic loyalist]], ''Literature/RedHarvest''

->But you know as well as I, patriotism is a word; and one that generally comes to mean either my country, right or wrong, which is infamous, or my country is always right, which is imbecile.

[[AC:Live-action TV]]

->Governments make policy. Soldiers have to accept those policies even when they're completely contradictory. It's the very definition of your job. A solider accepts that the face of "truth" changes on a daily basis.

[[AC:Video Games]]

->Were my heart my master, I would do exactly as you say. But what sort of knight abandons his kingdom-his king!-now, when they need him the most?.

--> -- ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV DS''

->I'm not some blind, flag-saluting, do-as-they-will NCR lover. They're like family, but let me tell ya what family means. You ever had a brother? Some dumbass younger brother, say, who knocked up the pastor's daughter, can't hold down a job and his home-away is a jail cell? ''That'' is NCR. [[LawfulStupid Their compass is spinning. All the time.]]

->Unlike Sokolov, the thought of defecting has never once crossed my mind. I love... my country. I love this land. I cannot even imagine living anywhere else. I wish to remain a hero... of the great motherland.

->What I remember about [[Film/RevengeOfTheSith the rise of the Empire]] is... is how ''quiet'' it was. During the waning hours of the Clone Wars, the 501st Legion was discreetly transferred back to Coruscant. It was a silent trip. We all knew [[FaceHeelTurn what was about to happen, what we were about to do]]. Did we have any doubts? Any private traitorous thoughts? Perhaps, but no one said a word. Not on the flight to Coruscant, not when Order 66 came down, and not when we marched into the Jedi Temple. Not a word.

[[AC:Web Original]]

->'''Chot Tzui:''' ''[about to execute a Metasoft ISO]'' You, no doubt, [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien being an S3 node]], have some insights into the nature of this conflict that I lack. Tell me then, are the ontological differences between our [masters] the true heart of this conflict, or is there something greater at stake? Is it right that I and the forces under my muster continue to oppose Metasoft or should we pursue another course?\\

[[AC:Western Animation]]

->No, dude. America may have some problems, but it's our home, our team. If you don't want to root for your team, then you should get the hell out of the stadium.
-->--'''Stan''', ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''

[[AC:RealLife]]

->As I write, highly civilised human beings are flying overhead, [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII trying to kill me]]...They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor I against them. They are 'only doing their duty', as the saying goes. Most of them would never dream of committing murder in private life. On the other hand, if one of them succeeds in blowing me to pieces with a well-placed bomb, he will never sleep any the worse for it. He is serving his country, which has the power to absolve him from evil.

->Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in the right; but still our country, right or wrong.

->I don't know about some other folks, but [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain I ain't fighting for no darkies]], one way or the other. I'm fightin' for my rats (rights). All of here, that's what we're fightin' for.
-->-- Confederate prisoner at ''Film/{{Gettysburg}}''

->[[TropeNamer My country, right or wrong]]; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right.

->"My country, right or wrong," is a thing that no patriot would think of saying. It is like saying, "My mother, drunk or sober."

->But you know as well as I, patriotism is a word; and one that generally comes to mean either my country, right or wrong, which is infamous, or my country is always right, which is imbecile.

-> '''Enoch Powell''': No, we do not fight for values. I would fight for this country even if it had a Communist government.\\

->Truly this is America's Team: where the consumer gives and gives to the corporation and is given nothing but false promises based on a once proud past, and admonished for ever questioning the machine.
-->--'''[[http://deadspin.com/why-your-team-sucks-2014-dallas-cowboys-1630689925 Drew Magary]]''' on the Dallas Cowboys

--> -- '''Camus''', ''FireEmblem Shadow Dragon''

-->-- Xu Huang, ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms''

-->-- On Col Slana, a [[{{UsefulNotes/Serbia}} Serbian Obrenovic loyalist]], ''Literature/RedHarvest''

-->-- Dr. Stephen Maturin, [[Literature/AubreyMaturin ''Master and Commander'']]

-->--'''Interrogator''', ''Series/BabylonFive'' ([[{{Recap/BabylonFiveS04E18IntersectionsInRealTime}} "Intersections in Real Time"]]

->The world will ''never'' know how I struggled with the decision to '''stay out''' of the electorial process. Should I have gone on television and told the voters ''not'' to elect [[ComicBook/LexLuthor this man?]] And what then? If I use my ''influence'' -- my ''character'' and my ''reputation'' -- to tell people how to vote, what does that make me? I choose to fight for Truth, Justice and the American Way. And for all it's flaws, American democracy 'does'' work... The United States doesn't need me to dictate, or worse, ''deprive'' her people of that most precious gift. The freedom of ''choice''. Even when I knew in my heart that choice was '''wrong'''.

'''MargaretThatcher''': Nonsense, Enoch. If I send British troops abroad, it will be to defend our values.\\

-->-- ''Literature/Aubrey-Maturin''

-->--'''[[http://deadspin.com/why-your-team-sucks-2014-dallas-cowboys-1630689925 Drew Magary]]''' on the Dallas Cowboys

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:real life]]

->As I write, highly civilised human beings are flying overhead, [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII trying to kill me]]...They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor I against them. They are 'only doing their duty', as the saying goes. Most of them would never dream of committing murder in private life. On the other hand, if one of them succeeds in blowing me to pieces with a well-placed bomb, he will never sleep any the worse for it. He is serving his country, which has the power to absolve him from evil.
-->--'''Creator/GeorgeOrwell''', ''The Lion & the Unicorn''

->Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in the right; but still our country, right or wrong.
-->-- '''Stephen Decatur'''

->I don't know about some other folks, but [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain I ain't fighting for no darkies]], one way or the other. I'm fightin' for my rats (rights). All of here, that's what we're fightin' for.
-->-- Confederate prisoner at ''Film/{{Gettysburg}}''

->[[TropeNamer My country, right or wrong]]; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right.
-->-- '''Carl Schurz'''

->"My country, right or wrong," is a thing that no patriot would think of saying. It is like saying, "My mother, drunk or sober."
--> -- '''Creator/GKChesterton'''

->But you know as well as I, patriotism is a word; and one that generally comes to mean either my country, right or wrong, which is infamous, or my country is always right, which is imbecile.
--> -- '''Patrick O'Brian'''

-> '''Enoch Powell''': No, we do not fight for values. I would fight for this country even if it had a Communist government.\\
'''MargaretThatcher''': Nonsense, Enoch. If I send British troops abroad, it will be to defend our values.\\
'''Enoch Powell''': No, Prime Minister, values exist in a transcendental realm, beyond space and time. They can neither be fought for, nor destroyed.
-->--[[http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/28511/the-revival-of-tory-philosophy/ Conservative Philosophy Group forum]]

->Truly this is America's Team: where the consumer gives and gives to the corporation and is given nothing but false promises based on a once proud past, and admonished for ever questioning the machine.
-->--'''[[http://deadspin.com/why-your-team-sucks-2014-dallas-cowboys-1630689925 Drew Magary]]''' on the Dallas Cowboys

[[/folder]]

[[folder:fiction]]

->''Display obedience''\\
''While never stepping out of line''\\
''And blindly swear allegiance''\\
''Let your country control your mind''\\
(Let your country control your soul)
-->-- '''Collective Consciousness''', theme song of [[spoiler:'''Senator Armstrong''']], ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance''

->No, dude. America may have some problems, but it's our home, our team. If you don't want to root for your team, then you should get the hell out of the stadium.
-->--'''Stan''', ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''

->Were my heart my master, I would do exactly as you say. But what sort of knight abandons his kingdom-his king!-now, when they need him the most?.
--> -- '''Camus''', ''FireEmblem Shadow Dragon''

->'''Soldier''': But, Lord Captain! The Mysidians offered no resistance! And still we cut them down!\\
'''Cecil''': Listen to me. We did no more than what our kingdom's peace and prosperity required us to do. The Mysidians knew too much of the Crystal and its secrets. His Majesty deemed it so. We are the Red Wings of Baron! It is not our place to question the orders of our king.
--> -- ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV DS''

->'''American general''': You mean ''your'' convictions, or ''your country's'' convictions?\\
'''General Kuribayashi''': Are they not the same?\\
'''American general''': Spoken like a true soldier.
-->-- '''Film/LettersFromIwoJima'''

-->-- Xu Huang, RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms

->I'm not some blind, flag-saluting, do-as-they-will NCR lover. They're like family, but let me tell ya what family means. You ever had a brother? Some dumbass younger brother, say, who knocked up the pastor's daughter, can't hold down a job and his home-away is a jail cell? ''That'' is NCR. [[LawfulStupid Their compass is spinning. All the time.]]
-->-- '''Cass''', ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''

->Unlike Sokolov, the thought of defecting has never once crossed my mind. I love... my country. I love this land. I cannot even imagine living anywhere else. I wish to remain a hero... of the great motherland.
-->-- '''Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin''', ''Videogame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater''

->A soldier's record tells a lot about a person. Not just ''what'' he's done, but ''how'' he's done it and ''why''. And you have an uncommon failing for someone in your position, Captain. You are a ''patriot''. You believe as I do that when we put on this uniform we took a solemn vow to protect Earth against threats from outside ''and'' from within.
-->--'''General Hague''' to '''Captain Sheridan''', ''Series/BabylonFive'': ''"All Alone in the Night"''

[[/folder]]
----

-->-- Confederate prisoner at ''Film/Gettysburg''

-> In the finer moments of [Col Slana's] life he had marked out in his imagination a death for himself, a death that would come to him in service to a monarchy which, in his mind, had the sanctity of a superstition. Rights and wrongs--he had nothing to do with these. Alexander may have ruled wisely or with the hand of a tyrant, for this he had no care. It was not the hour of judgment, but of duty; the yielding up of life that those who came after him and bore his name might yet place a laurel to his memory in sincerity.

->Loyalty is involved, and so pity ceases to function.
-->-- '''Creator/GeorgeOrwell''', ''[[http://orwell.ru/library/essays/nationalism/english/e_nat Notes on Nationalism]]''

-->''WebOriginal/OrionsArm'', [[http://www.orionsarm.com/eg-article/48fdb8829e239 The Version War]]

->Loyalty is involved, and so pity ceases to function.''

->Actions are held to be good or bad, not on their own merits, but [[MoralMyopia according to who does them]], and there is almost no kind of outrage... Even if one does not deny that the crime has happened, even if one knows that it is exactly the same crime as one has condemned in some other case, even if one admits in an intellectual sense that it is unjustified — still one cannot feel that it is wrong. Loyalty is involved, and so pity ceases to function.''

->The world will ''never'' know how I struggled with the decision to '''stay out''' of the electorial process. Should I have gone on television and told the voters ''not'' to elect [[LexLuthor this man?]] And what then? If I use my ''influence'' -- my ''character'' and my ''reputation'' -- to tell people how to vote, what does that make me? I choose to fight for Truth, Justice and the American Way. And for all it's flaws, American democracy 'does'' work... The United States doesn't need me to dictate, or worse, ''deprive'' her people of that most precious gift. The freedom of ''choice''. Even when I knew in my heart that choice was '''wrong'''.

->->Actions are held to be good or bad, not on their own merits, but [[MoralMyopia according to who does them]], and there is almost no kind of outrage... Even if one does not deny that the crime has happened, even if one knows that it is exactly the same crime as one has condemned in some other case, even if one admits in an intellectual sense that it is unjustified — still one cannot feel that it is wrong. Loyalty is involved, and so pity ceases to function.''

->Even if one does not deny that the crime has happened, even if one knows that it is exactly the same crime as one has condemned in some other case, even if one admits in an intellectual sense that it is unjustified — still one cannot feel that it is wrong. Loyalty is involved, and so pity ceases to function.''

->Actions are held to be good or bad, not on their own merits, but [[MoralMyopia according to who does them]], and there is almost no kind of outrage... Loyalty is involved, and so pity ceases to function.
-->-- '''Creator/GeorgeOrwell''', [[http://orwell.ru/library/essays/nationalism/english/e_nat notes on]] [[PoliticalIdeologies Nationalism]]

-->-- On Col Slana, a [[UsefulNotes/Serbia Serbian Obrenovic loyalist]], '''''Literature/RedHarvest'''''