« All Own Quotes · Alexis de Tocqueville's Page
Own Quotes by Alexis de Tocqueville
- If an American was condemned to confine his activity to his own affairs, he would be robbed of one half of his existence.
- Whatever may be the general endeavor of a community to render its members equal and alike, the personal pride of individuals will always seek to…
- Trade is the natural enemy of all violent passions. Trade loves moderation, delights in compromise, and is most careful to avoid anger. It is patient,…
- There is, in fact, a manly and lawful passion for equality which excites men to wish all to be powerful and honored. This passion tends…
- Because Roman civilization perished through barbarian invasions, we are perhaps too much inclined to think that that is the only way a civilization can die.…
- Not only does democracy make every man forget his ancestors, but also clouds their view of their descendants and isolates them from their contemporaries. Each…
- By obliging men to turn their attention to other affairs than their own, it rubs off that private selfishness which is the rust of society.
- A French observer is surprised to hear how often an English or an American lawyer quotes the opinions of others, and how little he alludes…
- However energetically society in general may strive to make all the citizens equal and alike, the personal pride of each individual will always make him…
- In cities men cannot be prevented from concerting together, and from awakening a mutual excitement which prompts sudden and passionate resolutions. Cities may be looked…
- In the United States, the majority undertakes to supply a multitude of ready-made opinions for the use of individuals, who are thus relieved from the…
- Nothing seems at first sight less important than the outward form of human actions, yet there is nothing upon which men set more store: they…
- It is indeed difficult to imagine how men who have entirely renounced the habit of managing their own affairs could be successful in choosing those…
- When the taste for physical gratifications among them has grown more rapidly than their education . . . the time will come when men are…
- I am unaware of his plans but I shall never stop believing in them because I cannot fathom them and I prefer to mistrust my…
- Despotism may govern without faith, but liberty cannot. How is it possible that society should escape destruction if the moral tie is not strengthened in…
More Own Quotes
- Power and violence are opposites; where the one rules absolutely, the other is absent. Violence appears where power is in jeopardy, but… — Hannah Arendt
- I am a free man. I do not need to copy Petrarca or Boccaccio. My own genius is enough. Let others worry… — Pietro Aretino
- Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own. — Aristotle
- Men create gods after their own image, not only with regard to their form but with regard to their mode of life. — Aristotle
- The generality of men are naturally apt to be swayed by fear rather than reverence, and to refrain from evil rather because… — Aristotle
- I believe that the whole idea of the consumer society is tottering. We've kept ourselves going by producing more and more goods,… — Paul Auster
- I was always interested in French poetry sort of as a sideline to my own work, I was translating contemporary French poets.… — Paul Auster
- Punk has always been about doing things your own way. What it represents for me is ultimate freedom and a sense of… — Billie Joe Armstrong
- I think it's your own choice if you turn from an angry young man to a bitter, old bastard. — Billie Joe Armstrong
- I like being a strong, independent woman, and to be honest, I was never afraid to be on my own. — Dido Armstrong
- We are addicted to our egotism, our likes and dislikes and prejudices, and depend upon them for our own sense of identity. — Karen Armstrong
- And above all things, never think that you're not good enough yourself. A man should never think that. My belief is that… — Isaac Asimov