When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness.
ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLEAs the past has ceased to throw its light upon the future, the mind of man wanders in obscurity.
More Alexis de Tocqueville Quotes
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The man who asks of freedom anything other than itself is born to be a slave.
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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 are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle.
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The last thing a political party gives up is its vocabulary.
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I know of no country in which there is so little independence of mind and real freedom of discussion as in America.
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A man’s admiration of absolute government is proportionate to the contempt he feels for those around him.
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The surface of American society is covered with a layer of democratic paint, but from time to time one can see the old aristocratic colours breaking through.
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Everybody feels the evil, but no one has courage or energy enough to seek the cure.
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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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The health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens.
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A democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it.
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Not 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.
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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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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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If an American was condemned to confine his activity to his own affairs, he would be robbed of one half of his existence.
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