Quote by: Alexis de Tocqueville

When the taste for physical gratifications among them has grown more rapidly than their education . . . the time will come when men are carried away and lose all self-restraint . . . . It is not necessary to do violence to such a people in order to strip them of the rights they enjoy; they themselves willingly loosen their hold. . . . they neglect their chief business which is to remain their own masters.


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Author Bio


  • NameAlexis de Tocqueville
  • DescriptionFrench political thinker and historian
  • AliasesAlexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville
  • BornJuly 29, 1805
  • DiedApril 16, 1859
  • CountryFrance
  • ProfessionPhilosopher; Politician; Historian; Author
  • WorksDemocracy In America
  • AwardsKnight Of The Legion Of Honour