Nations, as well as man, almost always betray the most prominent features of their future destiny in their earliest years.
Alexis de TocquevilleThe taste for well-being is the prominent and indelible feature of democratic times.
Alexis de TocquevilleIt is indeed difficult to imagine how men who have entirely renounced the habit of managing their own affairs could be successful in choosing those who ought to lead them. It is impossible to believe that a liberal, energetic, and wise government can ever emerge from the ballots of a nation of servants.
Alexis de TocquevilleThe Americans, on the contrary, are fond of explaining almost all the actions of their lives by the principle of interest rightly understood; they show with complacency how an enlightened regard for themselves constantly prompts them to assist each other, and inclines them willingly to sacrifice a portion of their time and property to the welfare of the state.
Alexis de Tocqueville