Alexis de Tocqueville was a French political thinker and historian best known for his work "Democracy in America," which analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of American democracy. His insights into American society and political institutions have influenced political science and sociology. Tocqueville's observations remain relevant in discussions about democracy and governance.
"I know of no country in which there is so little independence of mind and real freedom of discussion as in America."
"The French want no-one to be their superior. The English want inferiors. The Frenchman constantly raises his eyes above him with anxiety. The Englishman lowers his beneath him with satisfaction."
"I cannot help fearing that men may reach a point where they look on every new theory as a danger, every innovation as a toilsome trouble, every social advance as a first step toward revolution, and that they may absolutely refuse to move at all."
"In other words, a democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it."
"A democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it."