The New Englander is attached to his township because it is strong and independent; he has an interest in it because he shares in its management; he loves it because he has no reason to complain of his lot; he invests his ambition and his future in it; in the restricted sphere within his scope, he learns to rule society; he gets to know those formalities without which freedom can advance only through revolutions, and becoming imbued with their spirit, develops a taste for order, understands the harmony of powers, and in the end accumulates clear, practical ideas about the nature of his duties and the extent of his rights.


Chapter V. - Democracy in America, Volume I (1835) - Chapter I-V

Alexis de Tocqueville Quotes

The New Englander is attached to his township because it is strong and independent; he has an interest in it because he shares in its management; he...

The New Englander is attached to his township because it is strong and independent; he has an interest in it because he shares in its management; he...

The New Englander is attached to his township because it is strong and independent; he has an interest in it because he shares in its management; he...

The New Englander is attached to his township because it is strong and independent; he has an interest in it because he shares in its management; he...