A democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it.
PoliticsDemocracyCivic dutyAccountabilityResponsibilityTaxation
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- It highlights how democratic voters may avoid paying taxes they voted for.
- In plain terms
- People vote for taxes but try to avoid paying them.
- What can you take from it?
- Voters often avoid the costs they support.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do you pay what you vote for?
- What obligations do voters neglect?
Another view
It ignores reasons people might resist taxes beyond avoidance.
More from Alexis de Tocqueville
General ideas are no proof of the strength, but rather of the insufficiency of the human intellect.
Permalink to quote #22 All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.
Permalink to quote #24 They all attributed the peaceful dominion of religion in their country mainly to the separation of church and state. I do not hesitate to affirm that during my…
Permalink to quote #21
Related quotes
If democracy is destroyed in Britain it will be not the communists, Trotskyists or subversives but this House which threw it away. The rights that are entruste…
Tony BennTony Benn quote #23 Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.
Ronald ReaganRonald Reagan quote #2 The rising power of the United States in world affairs ... requires, not a more compliant press, but a relentless barrage of facts and criticism.... Our job in…
James RestonJames Reston quote #3