The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.
ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLENot until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.
More Alexis de Tocqueville Quotes
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There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle.
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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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I should have loved freedom, I believe, at all times, but in the time in which we live I am ready to worship it.
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The health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens.
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Every central government worships uniformity: uniformity relieves it from inquiry into an infinity of details.
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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.
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Rulers who destroy men’s freedom commonly begin by trying to retain its forms. … They cherish the illusion that they can combine the prerogatives of absolute power with the moral authority that comes from popular assent.
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There is no country in the world in which everything can be provided for by the laws, or in which political institutions can prove a substitute for common sense and public morality.
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The best laws cannot make a constitution work in spite of morals; morals can turn the worst laws to advantage.
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Life is to be entered upon with courage.
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Righteous women in their circle of influence, beginning in the home, can turn the world around.
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There is no country in the world where the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America.
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Socialism is a new form of slavery.
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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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In politics shared hatreds are almost always the basis of friendships.
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