In the principle of equality I very clearly discern two tendencies; one leading the mind of every man to untried thoughts, the other prohibiting him from thinking at all.
ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLEA democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it.
More Alexis de Tocqueville Quotes
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It is easier for the world to accept a simple lie than a complex truth.
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Generally speaking, only simple conceptions can grip the mind of a nation. An idea that is clear and precise even though false will always have greater power in the world than an idea that is true but complex.
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All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.
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The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.
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Men are not corrupted by the exercise of power or debased by the habit of obedience, but by the exercise of a power which they believe to be illegal and by obedience to a rule which they consider to be usurped and oppressive.
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Every central government worships uniformity: uniformity relieves it from inquiry into an infinity of details.
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The most dangerous moment for a bad government is when it begins to reform.
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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 necessity of forming opinions of their own.
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Nothing is more wonderful than the art of being free, but nothing is harder to learn how to use than freedom.
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Socialism is a new form of slavery.
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When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness.
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The Americans combine the notions of religion and liberty so intimately in their minds, that it is impossible to make them conceive of one without the other.
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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 try to escape from the common level, and he will form some inequality somewhere to his own profit.
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I have only one passion, the love of liberty and human dignity.
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Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith.
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