--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If a [democratic] society displays less…" description: "\"If a [democratic] society displays less brilliance than an aristocracy, there will also be less wretchedness; pleasures will be less outrageous and wel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_aristocracy_if-a-democratic-society-displays-less-br_963292.jpg" --- # If a \[democratic\] society displays less brilliance than an… ![“If a [democratic] society displays less brilliance than an aristocracy, there will also be less wretchedness; pleasures will be less outrageous and wellbeing will be shared by all; the sciences will be on a smaller scale but ignorance will be less common; opinions will be less vigorous and habits…” quote by Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_aristocracy_if-a-democratic-society-displays-less-br_963292.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_aristocracy_if-a-democratic-society-displays-less-br_963292.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_aristocracy_if-a-democratic-society-displays-less-br_963292.jpg) > “If a \[democratic\] society displays less brilliance than an aristocracy, there will also be less wretchedness; pleasures will be less outrageous and wellbeing will be shared by all; the sciences will be on a smaller scale but ignorance will be less common; opinions will be less vigorous and habits gentler; you will notice more vices and fewer crimes.” [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A democratic society may lack the extremes of brilliance and vice found in aristocracies, leading to milder pleasures, broader wellbeing, smaller but more common knowledge, gentler habits, and fewer crimes. **In simple terms:** Democracy softens extremes, spreading wellbeing and reducing extremes. Key Takeaway Embrace democratic values for balanced progress. Themes democracy social equality moderation public welfare crime reduction Mood reflective analytical optimistic Type philosophical political observational When to use this quote - education reform - public policy - community building - crime prevention - social welfare programs Key Concepts political theory social dynamics human behavior Questions to Reflect On - How does democracy balance equality with excellence? - What mechanisms ensure progress without elite dominance? A Different Perspective Democracy can also stifle innovation and elite leadership, potentially limiting breakthroughs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aristocracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aristocracy/) [Brilliance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brilliance/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Democratic society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic-society/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Vices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vices/) [Wellbeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wellbeing/) ## Related quotes > [The nations of our time cannot prevent the conditions of men from becoming equal, but it depends upon themselves whether the principle of equality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-nations-of-our-time-cannot-prevent-the-conditions-of-men-from/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [The most durable monument of human labor is that which recalls the wretchedness and nothingness of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-most-durable-monument-of-human-labor-is-that-which-recalls-the/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“Nothing is more necessary to the culture of the higher sciences, or of the more elevated departments of science, than meditation; and nothing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/nothing-is-more-necessary-to-the-culture-of-the-higher-sciences-or-of/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“In democratic society each citizen is habitually busy with the contemplation of a very petty object, which is himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/in-democratic-society-each-citizen-is-habitually-busy-with-the/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [The health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-health-of-a-democratic-society-may-be-measured-by-the-quality-of/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“There is no greater sorrow then to recall our times of joy in wretchedness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/there-is-no-greater-sorrow-then-to-recall-our-times-of-joy-in/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [I promise to crush Israel and return it to the humiliation and wretchedness of the Koran.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anwar-sadat/i-promise-to-crush-israel-and-return-it-to-the-humiliation-and/) [Anwar Sadat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anwar-sadat/) > [ The purpose of the whole \[the Comedy\] and of this portion \[the Paradiso\] is to remove those who are living in this life from… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/the-purpose-of-the-whole-the-comedy-and-of-this-portion-the-paradiso/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [Apart from the positive woes of perdition, an eternity of wretchedness grows from the want of love to Christ as naturally as the oak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-kennedy-hutchison-boyd/apart-from-the-positive-woes-of-perdition-an-eternity-of-wretchedness/) [Andrew Kennedy Hutchison Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-kennedy-hutchison-boyd/) > [“Once the principals in their party are seated, with those lower on the totem pole left to grumble and move on to find another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-lothlorien/once-the-principals-in-their-party-are-seated-with-those-lower-on-the/) Elle Lothlorien > [How evil life must be if it were indeed necessary that such imploring cries, such cries of physical and moral wretchedness, should ever and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/how-evil-life-must-be-if-it-were-indeed-necessary-that-such-imploring/) [Emile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [The purpose of the whole (work) is to remove those who are living in this life from a state of wretchedness and lead them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/the-purpose-of-the-whole-work-is-to-remove-those-who-are-living-in/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [All acts suppose certain dispositions, and habits of mind and heart, which may be in themselves states of enjoyment or of wretchedness, and which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/all-acts-suppose-certain-dispositions-and-habits-of-mind-and-heart/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [“The wretchedness of a child interests a mother, the wretchedness of a young man interests a young girl, the wretchedness of an old man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-wretchedness-of-a-child-interests-a-mother-the-wretchedness-of-a/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [My writing table has seen all my wretchedness, knows all my plans, has overheard all my thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/my-writing-table-has-seen-all-my-wretchedness-knows-all-my-plans-has/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) ## More by Alexis de Tocqueville > [All around you everything is on the move,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/all-around-you-everything-is-on-the-move/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [No state of society or laws can render men so much alike but that education, fortune, and tastes will interpose some differences between them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/no-state-of-society-or-laws-can-render-men-so-much-alike-but-that/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [I do not know if the people of the United States would vote for superior men if they ran for office, but there can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-do-not-know-if-the-people-of-the-united-states-would-vote-for/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/what-good-does-it-do-me-after-all-if-an-ever-watchful-authority-keeps/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-greatness-of-america-lies-not-in-being-more-enlightened-than-any/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“I am unacquainted with His designs, but I shall not cease to believe in them because I cannot fathom them, and I had rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-am-unacquainted-with-his-designs-but-i-shall-not-cease-to-believe/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [I questioned the faithful of all communions; I particularly sought the society of clergymen, who are the depositories of the various creeds and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-questioned-the-faithful-of-all-communions-i-particularly-sought-the/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Christianity is the companion of liberty in all its conflicts, the cradle of its infancy, and the divine source of its claims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/christianity-is-the-companion-of-liberty-in-all-its-conflicts-the/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [The more alike men are, the weaker each feels in the face of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-more-alike-men-are-the-weaker-each-feels-in-the-face-of-all/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“There is a twofold liberty, natural (I mean as our nature is now corrupt) and civil or federal. The first is common to man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/there-is-a-twofold-liberty-natural-i-mean-as-our-nature-is-now/) [Alexis De Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Upon my arrival in the United States the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention; and the longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/upon-my-arrival-in-the-united-states-the-religious-aspect-of-the/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Despotism often presents itself as the repairer of all the ills suffered, the support of just rights, defender of the oppressed, and founder of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/despotism-often-presents-itself-as-the-repairer-of-all-the-ills/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [On this waterlogged landscape…are scattered palaces and hovels…It is here that the human spirit becomes perfect, and at the same time brutalised, that civilisation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/on-this-waterlogged-landscape-are-scattered-palaces-and-hovels-it-is/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“Despotism may govern without faith, but liberty cannot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/despotism-may-govern-without-faith-but-liberty-cannot/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) [Explore all 438 Alexis de Tocqueville quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) ## More Aristocracy quotes > [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [Motherland is our property and we have right to handle our properties as pleased. The jokes about death for the sake of the motherland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/motherland-is-our-property-and-we-have-right-to-handle-our-properties/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is... an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents... The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/there-is-an-artificial-aristocracy-founded-on-wealth-and-birth/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Your best friends are your principles, if you havent them, dont look for another friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/your-best-friends-are-your-principles-if-you-havent-them-dont-look/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [A strong saying is not afraid of criticism, because it includes all the answers to criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/a-strong-saying-is-not-afraid-of-criticism-because-it-includes-all/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“I believe in aristocracy, though -- if that is the right word, and if a democrat may use it. Not an aristocracy of power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/i-believe-in-aristocracy-though-if-that-is-the-right-word-and-if-a/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [24.9 percent of American children live in poverty, while the proportions in Germany, France and Italy are 8.6, 7.4 and 10.5 percent. And once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hutton/24-9-percent-of-american-children-live-in-poverty-while-the/) [Will Hutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hutton/) > [Tomorrow every Duchess in London will be waiting to kiss me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsay-macdonald/tomorrow-every-duchess-in-london-will-be-waiting-to-kiss-me/) [Ramsay MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsay-macdonald/) > [“Why do these big old country houses always have family portraits in the dining room? 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