Alexis de Tocquevillle: Commercial Passions
on Saturday, July 7, 2018Alexis de Tocqueville Money Quote saying Americans get excited about commerce before politics. Alexis de Tocqueville said:
“The passions that stir the Americans most deeply are commercial and not political ones” — Alexis de Tocqueville
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In this quote, French historian Alexis de Tocqueville is making an observation about American society and culture based on his travels in the early 19th century. He notes that for most Americans at the time, their strongest and most dominant passions or driving forces seemed to be “commercial” ones related to business, trade and accumulating wealth, rather than “political” passions involving civic engagement, public policy or ideology.
The interpretation is that Tocqueville believed the pursuit of profit, economic opportunity and private enterprise had a more powerful hold on Americans’ interests and energies compared to passions surrounding government, community affairs or political causes according to his perspective expressed in this insightful quote about the emerging nation’s character.
Birthday: July 29, 1805 – Death: April 16, 1859