The winged phrase that Russian liberals like to quote is often attributed to Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy. We checked whether its authorship really belongs to the great Russian writer.

A reference to Tolstoy in connection with this phrase was made by public people as a politician Oleg Smolin, poet Alexander Mezhirov, prose writer Julian Semenov (doing this in Three different novels), a famous dissident Sergey Kovalev And many others. The question “What is the meaning of L. Tolstoy in his famous aphorism“ patriotism - the last refuge of villains ”?” even became a topic for Etude At the entrance exam at the Gorky Literary Institute.

Indeed, this phrase (with a rearrangement of words) is found in Lev Nikolaevich in an essay called “Circle of Reading”. That's just the work is a collage of aphorisms of figures of various eras and directions of thought. In particular, under the specified quote is worth Signature "Johnson". If you look into various English -speaking publications The 19th century, where this phrase is quoted, will find a reference to the words of the famous writer Samuel Johnson almost everywhere, whose name, according to the British, became the concept of “second half of the 18th century” for future generations. The earliest mention of the phrase is found in James Boswell's work “Samuel Johnson's Life, published in 1791:

“Patriotism has become one of our conversation, and Johnson unexpectedly pronounced a strong and decisive tone of aphorism, on which many will fall:“ Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. ” But it should be assumed that he had in mind not a real and generous love for our country, but that parietal patriotism, which many times and in all countries have made a cover of personal interests. ”

Johnson’s replica, which is being discussed, is dated in the book on April 7, 1775, and this day, along with authorship, has since been assigned to her in solid sources. At the same time, it is noted that at the Boswell described by Boswell, Patriotism as such was not criticized, it was about his incorrect use.

Thus, although Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy used this quote, it is a real author of Samuel Johnson.