WIST QuotationsJan 13

A quotation from Alexis de Tocqueville

As one digs deeper into the national character of the Americans, one sees that they have sought the value of everything in this world only in the answer to this single question: how much money will it bring in?
 
[À mesure qu’on creuse plus avant dans le caractère national des Américains, on voit qu’ils n’ont cherché la valeur de toutes les choses de ce monde que dans la réponse à cette seule question : combien cela rapporte-t-il d’argent?]

Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) French writer, diplomat, politician
Letter (1831-06-09) to Ernest de Chabrol [tr. Toupin/Boesche (1985)]

More about this quote: wist.info/tocqueville-alexis-d…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #AlexisdeTocqueville #detocqueville #Americans #money #profitability #value #worth

Tocqueville, Alexis de - Letter (1831-06-09) to Ernest de Chabrol [tr. Toupin/Boesche (1985)] | WIST Quotations

As one digs deeper into the national character of the Americans, one sees that they have sought the value of everything in this world only in the answer to this single question: how much money will it bring in? [À mesure qu’on creuse plus avant dans le caractère national des…

WIST Quotations
Show threadsgt1372May 3, 2025

@MsMerope "Right" thinking people in Congress would #impeach him & he would be arrested, convicted & imprisoned but there aren't many "right" thinking people in the country, let alone the Congress, these days. 🤷‍♂️

That's the weakness of #democracy. It's subject to the rule of the majority & if the majority are #fascists then fascism is what you're going to get. 🤦‍♂️

Have you ever read #DeTocqueville's #DemocracyInAmerica?

He identified this weakness in in this book almost 200 years ago!!!! 🙄

It's called the #TyrannyOfTheMajority!!!! It's all good when the majority are righteous & act in the benefit of all but the risk is that a tyrannical majority will come to power who does not have the best interests of the country & the people at large at heart, which seems like the situation we're in now. 🤷‍♂️

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyranny_of_the_majority

Tyranny of the majority - Wikipedia