Despots themselves do not deny that freedom is excellent; only they desire it for themselves alone, and they maintain that everyone else is altogether unworthy of it.

Les despotes eux-mêmes ne nient pas que la liberté ne soit excellente; seulement ils ne la veulent que pour eux-mêmes, et ils soutiennent que tous les autres en sont tout à fait indignes.

Alexis de Tocqueville

The Ancien Regime and the Revolution

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More information about this quote

Topic

Freedom Political hypocrisy Tyranny

Author

Alexis de Tocqueville

Source

The Ancien Regime and the Revolution

Genre

Historical literature Political literature

Language

French

Time

1856 1850s 19th century

Occupation

Historian Writer

From

France Europe

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Tocqueville, Alexis De. L'Ancien Régime et la Révolution [The Ancien Régime and the Revolution]. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1856, foreward.

Current Citation

Tocqueville, Alexis De. The Ancien Regime and the Revolution, translated by Gerald Bevan. Penguin Classics, 2008, foreward.

Illustrated Quote

A quote by Alexis de Tocqueville about freedom: “Despots themselves do not deny that freedom is excellent; only they desire…”
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A quote by Alexis de Tocqueville about freedom: “Despots themselves do not deny that freedom is excellent; only they desire…”
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A quote by Alexis de Tocqueville about freedom: “Despots themselves do not deny that freedom is excellent; only they desire…”
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Related Quotes

Below are one or more quotes that share at least one tag with the quote at the top of the page

Another quote from the 1850s

Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.

Frederick Douglass

More information about this quote
Topic
Power relations Fighting for justice Political progress Politics Progress
Speaker
Frederick Douglass
Medium
Speech
Genre
Political speech
Language
English
Time
1857 1850s 19th century
Authentication Score 0
Citation

Douglass, Frederick. "West India Emancipation." 3 Aug. 1857, Canandaigua, NY, USA.

Another quote about Tyranny

Democracy passes into despotism.

Socrates

Quoted in Republic, by Plato

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More information about this quote
Topic
Political theory Democracy Tyranny Politics
Speaker
Socrates

Author

Plato
Source
Republic
Medium
Philosophical dialogue Dialogue
Genre
Philosophical literature
Language
Greek
Time
375 BC 370s BC 4th century BC
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Socrates. Quoted in Πολιτεία [Republic], written by Plato. c. 375 BCE.

Current Citation

Socrates. Quoted in Republic, written by Plato, translated by Desmond Lee. Penguin Classics, 2007.

Another quote originally in French

Of all sexual aberrations perhaps the most curious is chastity.

Remy de Gourmont

More information about this quote
Topic
Chastity

Author

Remy de Gourmont
Source
The Natural Philosophy of Love
Language
French
Time
1903 1900s 20th century
Authentication Score 3
Citation

De Gourmont, Remy. Physique de l'Amor: Essai Sur l'Instinct Sexuel [Physics of Love - Essay on Sexual Instinct]. Mercure de France, 1903, ch. 18.