“In other words, the government of the democracy is the only one under which the power which lays on taxes escapes the… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
“Whether democracy or aristocracy is the better form of government constitutes a very difficult question. But, clearly, democracy inconveniences one person while… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
Not only does democracy make every man forget his ancestors, but also clouds their view of their descendants and isolates them from… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
“Nothing conceivable is so petty, so insipid, so crowded with paltry interests, in one word, so anti-poetic, as the life of a… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
“Democratic institutions awaken and foster a passion for equality which they can never entirely satisfy. This complete equality eludes the grasp of… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
“It was not man who implanted in himself what is infinite and the love of what is immortal: those lofty instincts are… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
Better use has been made of association and this powerful instrument of action has been applied for more varied aims in America… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
“The poor man retains the prejudices of his forefathers without their faith, and their ignorance without their virtues; he has adopted the… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
“ Tyranny in democratic republics does not proceed in the same way, however. It ignores the body and goes straight for the… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
Democratic institutions generally give men a lofty notion of their country and themselves. — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
America is a land of wonders, in which everything is in constant motion and every change seems an improvement. No natural boundary… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
The nations of our time cannot prevent the conditions of men from becoming equal, but it depends upon themselves whether the principle… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
What is most important for democracy is not that great fortunes should not exist, but that great fortunes should not remain in… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
What chiefly diverts the men of democracies from lofty ambition is not the scantiness of their fortunes, but the vehemence of the… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
“It is, indeed, difficult to conceive how men who have entirely given up the habit of self-government should succeed in making a… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
The progress of democracy seems irresistible, because it is the most uniform, the most ancient and the most permanent tendency which is… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
“Princes had, so to speak, turned violence into a physical thing but our democratic republics have made it into something as intellectual… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
Democratic nations care but little for what has been, but they are haunted by visions of what will be. — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
“Now, these eager and apprehensive men of small property constitute the class which is constantly increased by the equality of conditions. Hence,… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
The public, therefore, among a democratic people, has a singular power, which aristocratic nations cannot conceive; for it does not persuade others… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
Democratic communities have a natural taste for freedom: left to themselves they will seek it, cherish it, and view any deprivation of… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
Can it be believed that the democracy which overthrew the feudal system and vanquished kings will retreat before tradesmen and capitalists? — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
“The chief care of the legislators [in the colonies of New England] was the maintenance of orderly conduct and good morals in… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
The will of the nation is one of those phrases most widely abused by schemers and tyrants of all ages. — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
No state of society or laws can render men so much alike but that education, fortune, and tastes will interpose some differences between them;… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
I do not know if the people of the United States would vote for superior men if they ran for office, but there can… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
What good does it do me, after all, if an ever-watchful authority keeps an eye out to ensure that my pleasures will be tranquil… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults. — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
“I am unacquainted with His designs, but I shall not cease to believe in them because I cannot fathom them, and I had rather… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
I questioned the faithful of all communions; I particularly sought the society of clergymen, who are the depositories of the various creeds and have… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
Christianity is the companion of liberty in all its conflicts, the cradle of its infancy, and the divine source of its claims. — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
The more alike men are, the weaker each feels in the face of all. — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
“There is a twofold liberty, natural (I mean as our nature is now corrupt) and civil or federal. The first is common to man… — Alexis De Tocqueville Copy Share Image
Upon my arrival in the United States the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention; and the longer… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
