http://www.goodreads.com/author/quot...de_Tocqueville

I found this on another forum. There are a bunch of de Tocqueville quotes there, but I'm copying several of them here - mostly ones that I like and/or most people on NES will like:

Americans are so enamored of equality, they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.
Democracy extends the sphere of individual freedom, socialism restricts it. Democracy attaches all possible value to each man; socialism makes each man a mere agent, a mere number. 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.
I do not know if the people of the United States would vote for superior men if they ran for office, but there can be no doubt that such men do not run.
The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.
The surface of American society is covered with a layer of democratic paint, but from time to time one can see the old aristocratic colours breaking through.