America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.
Alexis de Tocqueville
America is Great
Topic: Justice, Vision, & Leadership
“I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers – and it was not there, in her fertile fields and trackless forests – and it was not there, in her rich mines and vast world commerce – and it was not there, in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution – and it was not there. Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.“
Alexis Charles Henri Clérel, Viscount de Tocqueville (29 July 1805 – 16 April 1859) was a French diplomat, political scientist and historian. He was best known for his works Democracy in America (appearing in two volumes, 1835 and 1840) and The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856). In both, he analyzed the improved living standards and social conditions of individuals as well as their relationship to the market and state in Western societies. Democracy in America was published after Tocqueville's travels in the United States and is today considered an early work of sociology and political science.
Democracy in America
Wilson, Andrew, editor. World Scripture II. Universal Peace Federation, 2011, p. 1056 [Alexis de Tocqueville (Democracy in America)].
Alexis de Tocqueville
Theme: A Vision of America
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Alexis de Tocqueville, Additional quotes
“The best laws cannot make a constitution work in spite of morals; morals can turn the worst laws to advantage. That is a commonplace truth, but one to which my studies are always bringing me back. It is the central point in my conception. I see it at the end of all my reflections.
–Alexis de Tocqueville [De la supériorité des mœurs sur les lois (1831) Oeuvres complètes, vol. VIII] p. 286.
“The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.”
–Alexis de Tocqueville [Democracy in America, Chapter XIII].