---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The progress of democracy seems…"
description: "\"The progress of democracy seems irresistible, because it is the most uniform, the most ancient and the most permanent tendency which is to be found in ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/969/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_ancient_the-progress-of-democracy-seems-irresist_994122.png"
---

#  The progress of democracy seems irresistible, because it…

![“The progress of democracy seems irresistible, because it is the most uniform, the most ancient and the most permanent tendency which is to be found in history.” quote by Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/969/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_ancient_the-progress-of-democracy-seems-irresist_994122.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/969/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_ancient_the-progress-of-democracy-seems-irresist_994122.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/969/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_ancient_the-progress-of-democracy-seems-irresist_994122.png)

> “The progress of democracy seems irresistible, because it is the most uniform, the most ancient and the most permanent tendency which is to be found in history.”

[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.

Democracy’s appeal lies in its enduring, universal, and ancient tendency toward equality and participation.

**In simple terms:** Democracy is a lasting, universal trend toward equality.

Key Takeaway

Support and protect democratic institutions.

Themes

equality history politics progress

Mood

analytical hopeful

Type

philosophical political

When to use this quote

- voting
- civic engagement
- policy reform

Key Concepts

social contract collective will institutional stability

Questions to Reflect On

- How does history shape current democracy?
- What can sustain democratic momentum?

A Different Perspective

May ignore democratic flaws.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ancient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) [Ancient Permanent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-permanent-2054798/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Democracy Irresistible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy-irresistible-2054796/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Irresistible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irresistible/) [Irresistible Uniform](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irresistible-uniform-2054799/) [Permanent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permanent/) [Permanent Tendency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permanent-tendency-2054797/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Progress Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress-democracy-769459/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Tendencies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tendencies/) [Uniforms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uniforms/)

## Related quotes

> [As I have shown, I will defend democracy with arms when it is threatened by violence; with firmness when it is weakened by division;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-i-have-shown-i-will-defend-democracy-with-arms-when-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I also know that there have been many times in our history when the proximity of an election has induced exactly the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lieberman/i-also-know-that-there-have-been-many-times-in-our-history-when-the/)

[Joe Lieberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lieberman/)

> [It is the hard-boiled employer, not the soft-hearted species, that incites most of our strikes and does most ot endanger the harmonious progress of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/it-is-the-hard-boiled-employer-not-the-soft-hearted-species-that/)

[B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/)

> [Take the US. Women were not even able to vote until 90 ago, at about the same time they gained the right in Afghanistan.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/take-the-us-women-were-not-even-able-to-vote-until-90-ago-at-about/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Throughout American history many of our social gains and much of our progress toward democracy were made possible by the active intervention of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-washington/throughout-american-history-many-of-our-social-gains-and-much-of-our/)

[Harold Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-washington/)

> [Born often under another sky, placed in the middle of an always moving scene, himself driven by the irresistible torrent which draws all about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/born-often-under-another-sky-placed-in-the-middle-of-an-always-moving/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [When a large number of organs of the press come to advance along the same track, their influence becomes almost irresistible in the long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/when-a-large-number-of-organs-of-the-press-come-to-advance-along-the/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [The evocative power of the drum can be compared to the Trinity. The drum's frame comes from the trunk of a tree, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-olatunji/the-evocative-power-of-the-drum-can-be-compared-to-the-trinity-the/)

[Babatunde Olatunji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-olatunji/)

> [We recognize that we cannot survive on meditation, poems and sunsets. We are restless. We have an irresistible urge to dip our hands into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-florman/we-recognize-that-we-cannot-survive-on-meditation-poems-and-sunsets/)

[Samuel Florman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-florman/)

> [All trembling, I reached the Falls of Niagara, and oh, what a scene! My blood shudders still, although I am not a coward, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-audubon/all-trembling-i-reached-the-falls-of-niagara-and-oh-what-a-scene-my/)

[John James Audubon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-audubon/)

> [“Raising one hand, he tilts his hat to that sexy slant. "You want me. Admit it." Even if he's partly right, I'll never tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-howard/raising-one-hand-he-tilts-his-hat-to-that-sexy-slant-you-want-me/)

[A.G. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-howard/)

> [The irresistible force meets the immovable object.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gorilla-monsoon/the-irresistible-force-meets-the-immovable-object/)

[Gorilla Monsoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gorilla-monsoon/)

> [Boys are irresistible but are they really worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/boys-are-irresistible-but-are-they-really-worth-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/enthusiasm-is-the-yeast-that-makes-your-hopes-shine-to-the-stars/)

[Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/)

> [Above Coblentz almost every mountain has a ruin and a legend. One feels everywhere the spirit of the past, and its stirring recollections come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-taylor/above-coblentz-almost-every-mountain-has-a-ruin-and-a-legend-one/)

[Bayard Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-taylor/)

## 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 Ancient quotes

> [“We ought to know the history of our ancient ancestors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-ought-to-know-the-history-of-our-ancient-ancestors/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [In ancient times, those who wished to illuminate the world with virtue first brought order to their nations. Wishing to order well their nations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/in-ancient-times-those-who-wished-to-illuminate-the-world-with-virtue/)

[Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/)

> [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [“Whenever I think about ancient cultures nostalgia seizes me. Perhaps this is nothing but envy of the sweet slowness of the history of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/whenever-i-think-about-ancient-cultures-nostalgia-seizes-me-perhaps/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [I don't know if I've come of age, but I'm certainly older now. I feel shrunken, as if there's a tiny ancient Oliver Tate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-don-t-know-if-i-ve-come-of-age-but-i-m-certainly-older-now-i-feel/)

[Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/)

> [Tentatively I stood a great lump of wood on the chopping block and bought the axe down on it. It flew into two perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/tentatively-i-stood-a-great-lump-of-wood-on-the-chopping-block-and/)

[Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/)

> [Men must speak English who can write Sanskrit; they must speak a modern language who write, perchance, an ancient and universal one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-must-speak-english-who-can-write-sanskrit-they-must-speak-a/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man's treasure, the bad man's refuge. Honors can be bought with fine words, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-tao-is-the-center-of-the-universe-the-good-man-s-treasure-the-bad/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [So too, monks, I saw the ancient path, the ancient road traveled by the Perfectly Enlightened Ones of the past. And what is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/so-too-monks-i-saw-the-ancient-path-the-ancient-road-traveled-by-the/)

[Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/)

> [Ancient societies had anthropomorphic gods: a huge pantheon expanding into centuries of dynastic drama; fathers and sons, martyred heroes, star-crossed lovers, the deaths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/ancient-societies-had-anthropomorphic-gods-a-huge-pantheon-expanding/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [Those of us with this ancient compulsion to tell stories sometimes start with a single kernel of something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/those-of-us-with-this-ancient-compulsion-to-tell-stories-sometimes/)

[Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/)

> [All the stories I have told you are finally as useless as all ancient knowledge is to man and to us. Its images and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/all-the-stories-i-have-told-you-are-finally-as-useless-as-all-ancient/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [So what if I'm ninety-three? So what if I'm ancient and cranky and my body's a wreck? If they're willing to accept me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gruen/so-what-if-i-m-ninety-three-so-what-if-i-m-ancient-and-cranky-and-my/)

[Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/)

> [Science has revealed a universe that is vast, ancient, violent, strange, and beautiful, a universe of almost infinite variety and possibility one in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/science-has-revealed-a-universe-that-is-vast-ancient-violent-strange/)

[Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/)

[Browse all 2,415 Ancient quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The progress of democracy seems irresistible, because it is the most uniform, the most ancient and the most permanent tendency which is to be found in history.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alexis de Tocqueville"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-progress-of-democracy-seems-irresistible-because-it-is-the-most/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ancient"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-progress-of-democracy-seems-irresistible-because-it-is-the-most/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/969/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_ancient_the-progress-of-democracy-seems-irresist_994122.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/969/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_ancient_the-progress-of-democracy-seems-irresist_994122.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/969/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_ancient_the-progress-of-democracy-seems-irresist_994122.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The progress of democracy seems irresistible, because it is the most uniform, the most ancient and the most…” — Alexis de Tocqueville",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alexis de Tocqueville",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The progress of democracy seems irresistible,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-progress-of-democracy-seems-irresistible-because-it-is-the-most/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-progress-of-democracy-seems-irresistible-because-it-is-the-most/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
