“If, in short, you are of the opinion that the principal object of government is not to confer the greatest possible glory upon the body of the nation, but to ensure the greatest enjoyment and to avoid the most misery to each of the individuals who compose it—if such be your desire, then equalize the conditions of men and establish democratic institutions.”
"It is extremely difficult in democratic times to draw nations into hostilities; but … it is almost impossible that any two of them should go to war without embroiling the rest. The interests of all are so interlaced, their opinions and their wants so much alike, that none can remain quiet when the others stir. Wars therefore become more rare, but when they break out, they spread over a larger field."
- Alexis de Tocqueville
Awareness
"Thus not only does democracy make every man forget his ancestors, but it hides his descendants and separates his contemporaries from him; it throws him back forever upon himself alone and threatens in the end to confine him entirely within the solitude of his own heart."
- Alexis de Tocqueville
Awareness
"I think it may be admitted as a general and constant rule that among civilized nations the warlike passions will become more rare and less intense in proportion as social conditions are more equal."
- Alexis de Tocqueville
Hope
"A French observer is surprised to hear how often an English or an American lawyer quotes the opinions of others, and how little he alludes to his own; … This abnegation of his own opinion, and this implicit deference to the opinion of his forefathers, which are common to the English and American lawyer, this servitude of thought which he is obliged to profess, necessarily give him more timid habits and more conservative inclinations in England and America than in France."
- Alexis de Tocqueville
Self-awareness
"Democracy does not give the people the most skillful government, but it produces what the ablest governments are frequently unable to create: namely, an all-pervading and restless activity, a superabundant force, and an energy which is inseparable from it and which may, however unfavorable circumstances may be, produce wonders."
- Alexis de Tocqueville
Inspiration
"There is beauty in the Beast, just as there is darkness in the most perfect human."
- Beauty and the Beast
Balance
"When you leave work on Friday, leave work. Don’t let technology follow you throughout your weekend (answering text messages and emails). Take a break. You will be more refreshed to begin the workweek if you have had a break."
- Catherine Pulsifer
Balance
"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."
- Albert Einstein
Balance
"Make your Tuesday as productive as possible, but don’t forget to enjoy the journey."
Balance
"You can’t always hold on to the things that are important. By letting them go we gain something else."
- Kunio Yaobi
Balance