A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle; and patriotism is loyalty to that principle.

Curtis distinguishes between a purely geographic notion of nationhood and a moral-political one. “Country,” in his framing, is ultimately an idea—an animating set of principles (such as liberty, constitutional government, or equal rights) that gives the state legitimacy. Patriotism, therefore, is not blind attachment to soil or symbols, but fidelity to those founding ideals, even when that loyalty requires criticism of government actions that betray them. The quote reflects a civic-republican understanding of nationalism common among nineteenth-century American reformers: love of country is measured by commitment to its ethical commitments, not by unthinking allegiance to power or territory.