[P]atriotism... is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.

Stevenson contrasts performative, episodic displays of national feeling with a quieter, sustained ethic of civic responsibility. The line implies that genuine love of country is measured less by dramatic rhetoric or momentary fervor than by long-term conduct: public service, respect for democratic institutions, and a willingness to shoulder burdens over time. It also carries a warning about how easily “patriotism” can be commandeered by passion, crowd psychology, or political manipulation. In Stevenson’s mid‑century political idiom, the ideal citizen proves devotion through steady work and principled restraint rather than through emotional spectacle.