On Liberty

In such circumstances, ... they would, no doubt, have set sail on the stormy sea of democratic politics, swayed by the gusts of popular eloquence and quarreling for power with the governing class of a city which did not even belong to them, before any real sense of community had had time to grow. That sense--the only true patriotism--comes slowly and springs from the heart: it is founded upon respect for the family and love of the soil.
--Livy, History of Rome, Book II

Should we interpret this as a criticism of multi-culturalism? Certainly it criticizes the idea that a nation can last as a mixed bag of cultures opposed to one another in many points.

But the idea that culture gels over a long stretch of time gives me hope that the stage of multi-culturalism is at work in producing a unified culture much as the 19th century melting pot produced the American ideals of the 20th century.

We will emerge stronger and more rich in our national life after the assimilation of foreign strains as we did from the very beginning when Dutch and German colonies were assimiliated into the English colonies.

One exception: the religion of Islam, which hates whatever is not of itself and declares perpetual war on all cultures accordingly.