Leo Tolstoy. Christianity and patriotism (№ 394671)

But what is this high feeling that, in the opinion of the ruling classes must educate the peoples?
The feeling is there, in the precise definition of his own, nothing like the preference of the state or the people of any other state and people, feeling quite Express German Patriotic song: "Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles" ["Germany, Germany above all"], which is only to insert instead of Deutschland Russland, Frankreich, Italien or N. N., i.e., any other state, and is the clear formula high sense of patriotism. It may well be that the feeling is very desirable and useful for governments and for the integrity of the state, but it is impossible not to see that the feeling is not high, but on the contrary, very stupid and very immoral; stupid because, if every state will consider itself better than any other, it is obvious that they will all be wrong and immoral because it inevitably leads every man experiencing it to gain benefits for their state and nation at the expense of other States and peoples, - attraction opposite the main, commonly accepted moral law: not to do another and another, whatever we wanted, so we did.