Abandon Quote by Alexis de Tocqueville
“Men cannot abandon their religious faith without a kind of aberration of intellect and a sort of violent distortion of their true nature; they are invincibly brought back to more pious sentiments. Unbelief is an accident, and faith is the only permanent state of mankind.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Democracy in America, 1835
Faith is portrayed as an essential, stable element of human nature, while disbelief is seen as a temporary deviation; true permanence lies in religious conviction.
In simple terms: Faith is permanent; disbelief temporary.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the role of belief in society.
Themes
religion
philosophy
human nature
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
philosophical
historical
When to use this quote
- social policy
- education
- public discourse
- personal identity
Key Concepts
sociology
spirituality
Questions to Reflect On
- How does belief shape societal values?
- Can societies thrive without shared faith?
A Different Perspective
Secular perspectives challenge this view.
![“[Dr. Constain James] refuted so well the aberrations of Darwinism… [A system] which is repugnant at once to history, to the tradition of all people, to exact science, to observed facts, and even to reason itself, would seem to need no refutation. But the corruption of this age, the machinations of…” quote by Pope Pius IX](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/927/pope-pius-ix-26903_aberration_dr-constain-james-refuted-so-well-the-ab_292056.jpg)
