# Reading > Who Said That? >  "Patriotism is a virtue of the vicious."

## gerry

Can anyone here please tell me where this quote, "Patriotism is a virtue of the vicious", attributed to Oscar Wilde, is to be found in his writings?

Do we have any free online text of the work where the quote can be located?

Thanks for any help.

gerry

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## cls2084

I researched this quote online alittle and come up with this...

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde

This link is to a website that lists some major quotes from Oscar Wilde. It lists which quotes go to which books and then has quotes that are attributed to Wilde. 

"Patriotism is a virtue of the vicious" is listed under Attributed. Therefore, I believe that this was not in any of his books or others works. It may have been something that was said in public or something and just stuck.

I will keep researching it though.

Do you think he did not say this or something?

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## mono

It seems difficult to tell.
I looked nearly everywhere on the Internet, and could never find the exact quote in any specific work. Wilde did write many small essays, however, which seems my best guess.  :Confused:

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## antiquary

Almost everything gets attributed to Oscar Wilde eventually, so I'm rather doubtful whether it really is one of his, especially since no specific source has been found. My best guess is that it's a garbled version of this much-quoted passage from James Boswell's _Life of Samuel Johnson_ (1791):

'Patriotism having become one of our topicks, Johnson suddenly uttered, in a strong determined tone, an apophthegm, at which many will start: 'Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.' But let it be considered that he did not mean a real and generous love of our country, but that pretended patriotism which so many, in all ages and countries, have made a cloak of self-interest.'

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## ennison

And the argument of The Scoundrel

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## ennison

Ah ha! It pays to read the preceding post before posting quick reply - as Confucius say.

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## cafolini

> Ah ha! It pays to read the preceding post before posting quick reply - as Confucius say.


Fortune cookie says: next full moon brings enchanting evening.

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## ennison

I shall look forward to that with anticipation. Awooooo!

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