The main business of religions is to purify, control, and restrain that excessive and exclusive taste for well-being which men acquire in times of equality.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Religion helps control the selfish pursuit of comfort in equal societies.
- In plain terms
- Faith restrains people from obsessing only over their own well-being.
- What can you take from it?
- Religious practices can curb materialistic desires.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does religion limit selfishness?
- How does equality affect values?
Another view
Not all religious groups focus on this restraint.
More from Alexis de Tocqueville
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