Freedom is, in truth, a sacred [sic] thing. There is only one thing else that better deserves the name: that is virtue. But then what is virtue if not the free choice of what is good?
(Alexis de Tocqueville, Journeys to England and Ireland, translated by George Lawrence and K.P. Mayer, edited by Jacob Peter Mayer, London, Faber and Faber, 1957, p. 117.)
Democracy is like a rising tide; it only recoils to come back with greater force, and soon one sees that for all its fluctuations it is always gaining ground. The immediate future of European society is completely democratic: this can in no way be doubted.
(Alexis de Tocqueville, Journeys to England and I…
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2451 words
Citation: Cross, Máire Fedelma. "Alexis de Tocqueville". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 May 2005 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4425, accessed 24 November 2024.]