The aspect of American society is animated, because men and things are always changing; but it is monotonous, because all the changes are alike.
Alexis De TocquevilleRead
Freedom sees in religion the companion of its struggles and its triumphs, the cradle of its infancy, the divine source of its rights. It considers religion as the safeguard of mores; and mores as the guarantee of laws and the pledge of its duration.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the integral role of religion in the pursuit of freedom and societal values.
Alexis De Tocqueville highlights the profound connection between religion and freedom, suggesting that religion not only supports the struggles for liberty but also nurtures the moral foundations necessary for society. He argues that religion is crucial for instilling values and laws that ensure the continuity and stability of free societies.
Themes
FreedomReligionMoresLawsSociety
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about the importance of moral values in democratic societies.
More from Alexis De Tocqueville
All quotes →Democratic communities have a natural taste for freedom: left to themselves they will seek it, cherish it, and view any deprivation of it with regret. But for equality their passion is ardent, insatiable, incessant, invincible: they call for equality in freedom; and if they cannot obtain that, they still call for equality in slavery.
Alexis De TocquevilleRead
Religion, which never intervenes directly in the government of American society, should therefore be considered as the first of their political institutions
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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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The Indian knew how to live without wants, to suffer without complaint, and to die singing.
Alexis De TocquevilleRead
Grant me thirty years of equal division of inheritances and a free press, and I will provide you with a republic.
Alexis De TocquevilleRead
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