National pride is to countries what self-respect is to individuals: a necessary condition for self-improvement.
Richard RortyTo abjure the notion of the truly human is to abjure the attempt to divinize the self as a replacement for a divinized world.
Richard RortyEvery government, left or right, always engages in moral crusades. What else are they supposed to do? Especially when they make war; any war has to be a moral crusade.
Richard Rorty