“For love of country is not learned in school, but is born with us and grows with us.”Ion Creangă · Amintiri din copilărie · 1881 · partea I
Creangă suggests that genuine patriotism doesn't come from lessons or propaganda, but from the emotional bond formed in childhood. The landscapes, people, and customs of one's birthplace become naturally imprinted on the soul, like a second nature. A child growing up in a village loves it not because they were told to, but because they lived joys and sorrows there.
Why it matters It reminds us that civic education works only when paired with real experiences of belonging and care for the community.