Alexis de Tocqueville Quote

"Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality.
But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty,
socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude."

by:	Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) French historian
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Categories:	Collectivist, Democracy, Equality, Freedom, Liberty, Socialism, Subservience
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Sadly, his description of socialism also closely matches the totalitartian directions that the current GOP leadership is fostering upon the US (and world).  -- Anonymous, Reston, VA US
de Tocqueville has a keen eye,and he's not the only one. Reminds me of the observation by Churchill (that's Winston Churchill for you Anon in Reston--you've heard about him), that "Capitalism's problem is the uneven distribution of wealth, which socialism's virtue is the even distribution of misery." Amen! (Anon. in Reston. Hope you have a gerat day. By the way...if we go socialistic as you desire...what's in it for you? A position of unchallengable privilege, and power--deciding who you will take from and who you will give to? Though so. Just asking.)  -- MK, Houston, TX
We all have the equal right to be absolutely different than anybody else. We are unequal in power, capacity, age, knowledge, and resources -- the effort to 'equalize' each other in that regard merely turns us into dumb automatons and beasts of burden. Without freedom, there is no happiness.  -- E Archer, NYC
There are systems of democratic (voluntary) socialism, and others in which alleged democracies are ruled by whoever has the money, plutocracy. Whoever willingly dwells in a socialist atmosphere gets what he chooses. Whoever lives in a plutocracy, having no money or other tool of leverage, suffers restraint and servitude, regardless of the facade of democracy that environment sustains.  -- David L. Rosenthal, Hollywood
I think Reston may have had an epiphany! The GOP of today is not the conservative, right wing everyone on the left thinks they are. They have morphed over the years into the Democratic party of twenty years ago.  -- Ken, Allyn, WA
-- Anonymous, PA
Why did he mix form of government (democracy) and economical system (socialism)? Apples and oranges.  -- Clenio, Westland

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