Alexis de Tocqueville
Traced to source
9 quotes we’ve traced to Alexis de Tocqueville
“Above this race of men stands an immense and tutelary power, which takes upon itself alone to secure their gratifications and to watch over their fate”
Verified“Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude”
Verified“I know of no country in which there is so little independence of mind and real freedom of discussion as in America”
Verified“A decline of public morals in the United States will probably be marked by the abuse of the power of impeachment as a means of crushing political adversaries or ejecting them from office”
Disputed“America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great”
Disputed“Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom”
Disputed“I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there. In the fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there. In her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits, aflame with righteousness, did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great”
Disputed“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money”
Disputed“The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults”
DisputedNot actually Alexis de Tocqueville
Often misattributed to Alexis de Tocqueville
Famous lines widely pinned on Alexis de Tocqueville that we’ve traced to someone else.
“America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great”
actually Unknown
“I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there. In the fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there. In her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits, aflame with righteousness, did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great”
actually Unknown
“In a democracy, the people get the government they deserve”
actually Joseph de Maistre
“It's not an endlessly expanding list of rights — the 'right' to education, the 'right' to health care, the 'right' to food and housing. That's not freedom, that's dependency. Those aren't rights, those are the rations of slavery — hay and a barn for human cattle”
actually P. J. O’Rourke
“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money”
actually Unknown
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