--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is above all in the present democratic…" description: "\"It is above all in the present democratic age that the true friends of liberty and human grandeur must remain constantly vigilant and ready to prevent ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_age_it-is-above-all-in-the-present-democrati_1954939.png" --- # It is above all in the present democratic age that the… ![“It is above all in the present democratic age that the true friends of liberty and human grandeur must remain constantly vigilant and ready to prevent the social power from lightly sacrificing the particular rights of a few individuals to the general execution of its designs. In such times there…” quote by Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_age_it-is-above-all-in-the-present-democrati_1954939.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_age_it-is-above-all-in-the-present-democrati_1954939.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_age_it-is-above-all-in-the-present-democrati_1954939.png) > “It is above all in the present democratic age that the true friends of liberty and human grandeur must remain constantly vigilant and ready to prevent the social power from lightly sacrificing the particular rights of a few individuals to the general execution of its designs. In such times there is no citizen so obscure that it is not very dangerous to allow him to be oppressed, and there are no individual rights so unimportant that they can be sacrificed to arbitrariness with impunity.” [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. Vigilance is needed to protect individual rights from majority tyranny in a democratic society. **In simple terms:** Guard freedoms by staying alert. Key Takeaway Never assume safety for the overlooked. Themes freedom democracy rights vigilance Mood concerned determined Type political philosophical When to use this quote - political activism - legal advocacy - community organizing - public policy debates Key Concepts social contract majority rule individual liberty Questions to Reflect On - How can we empower marginalized voices? - What safeguards prevent majority overreach? A Different Perspective Even vigilant societies can still overlook subtle abuses. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Allow Oppressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allow-oppressed-3194830/) [Citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/) [Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous/) [Democratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Execution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/execution/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Friends Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends-liberty-409873/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Grandeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandeur/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Individual rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual-rights/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Obscure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obscure/) [Oppressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppressed/) [Oppressed Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppressed-individual-3194831/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [Ready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ready/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Rights Individuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights-individuals-595159/) [Sacrifice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrifice/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [True friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-friend/) [True friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-friends/) [Unimportant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unimportant/) ## Related quotes > [“The religionists are the enemies of liberty, and the friends of liberty attack religion; the high-minded and the noble advocate bondage, and the meanest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-religionists-are-the-enemies-of-liberty-and-the-friends-of/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“No one can pretend that because a people may be oppressed, every individual member is virtuous and worthy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/no-one-can-pretend-that-because-a-people-may-be-oppressed-every/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [And the truth must finally lie in that which every oppressed individual feels within himself but hasn't the courage to express](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/and-the-truth-must-finally-lie-in-that-which-every-oppressed/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [And yet even among the friends of liberty, many people are deceived into believing that government can make them safe from all harm, provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/and-yet-even-among-the-friends-of-liberty-many-people-are-deceived/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [The slaves of power mind the cause they have to serve, because their own interest is concerned; but the friends of liberty always sacrifice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-slaves-of-power-mind-the-cause-they-have-to-serve-because-their/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [That humanity and sincerity which dispose men to resist injustice and tyranny render them unfit to cope with the cunning and power of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-humanity-and-sincerity-which-dispose-men-to-resist-injustice-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are the friends of liberty everywhere, but the guarrantors of only our own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/we-are-the-friends-of-liberty-everywhere-but-the-guarrantors-of-only/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [It would also be strange to find in the midst of a catalog of the rights of individuals a provision securing to the states…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/it-would-also-be-strange-to-find-in-the-midst-of-a-catalog-of-the/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [I don't see a direct conflict between the rights of individuals and the rights of communities, because I don't perceive of communities as having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-kaminer/i-don-t-see-a-direct-conflict-between-the-rights-of-individuals-and/) [Wendy Kaminer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-kaminer/) > [Tocqueville talked about "ceaseless agitation," citizens constantly use their institutions, constantly challenging them, constantly insisting upon their rights. It's also individuals taking responsibility for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/tocqueville-talked-about-ceaseless-agitation-citizens-constantly-use/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [Since there is no such entity as 'the public,' since the public is merely a number of individuals, the idea that 'the public interest'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/since-there-is-no-such-entity-as-the-public-since-the-public-is/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [To be actively pro-life is to contribute to the renewal of society through the promotion of the common good. It is impossible to further…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/to-be-actively-pro-life-is-to-contribute-to-the-renewal-of-society/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [Communities don't have rights. Only individuals in the community have rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-badnarik/communities-don-t-have-rights-only-individuals-in-the-community-have/) [Michael Badnarik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-badnarik/) > [The FBI holds sacred the rights of individuals to peacefully exercise their First Amendment freedoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-a-wray/the-fbi-holds-sacred-the-rights-of-individuals-to-peacefully-exercise/) [Christopher A. 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He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. 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That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is above all in the present democratic age that the true friends of liberty and human grandeur must remain constantly vigilant and ready to prevent the social power from lightly sacrificing the particular rights of a few individuals to the general execution of its designs. 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