General ideas are no proof of the strength, but rather of the insufficiency of the human intellect. — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
The evil which one suffers patiently as inevitable seems insupportable as soon as he conceives the idea of escaping from it. — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
The genius of democracies is seen not only in the great number of new words introduced but even more in the new… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
To commit violent and unjust acts, it is not enough for a government to have the will or even the power; the… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
Generally speaking, only simple conceptions can grip the mind of a nation. An idea that is clear and precise even though false… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
The more government takes the place of associations, the more will individuals lose the idea of forming associations and need the government… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
The last thing abandoned by a party is its phraseology, because among political parties, as elsewhere, the vulgar make the language, and… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
In America, conscription is unknown; men are enlisted for payment. Compulsory recruitment is so alien to the ideas and so foreign to… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
The Americans never use the word peasant, because they have no idea of the class which that term denotes; the ignorance of… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
Even despots accept the excellence of liberty. The simple truth is that they wish to keep it for themselves and promote the… — Alexis de Tocqueville Copy Share Image
Trade is the natural enemy of all violent passions. Trade loves moderation, delights in compromise, and is most careful to avoid anger.… — 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
