The Tocqueville Fraud: Can We Please Stop attributing to him, things he did not say?

The Weekly Standard ^ | 09/09 | John Pitney

[Rurudyne]

Isn’t the truth? I recall that one quote where Tocqueville said that Lincoln was right, and people really would believe whatever they’d read on the internet.

[BenLurkin]

But he was the first to say “Diversity is strength”

[PlateOfShrimp]

You are not quite correct, as Lincoln was not around then. The quote you refer to involved Brian Williams. /s

[PlateOfShrimp]

Sad but true, but there are a lot of urban myths and misquotes out there, and our side can be guilty of this at times. I am pretty sure that Chesterton’s famous quote about people believing in anything is only partly his. And as far as I can tell, Voltaire’s home was never used to publish Bibles.

[JonPreston]

Our nation is on the verge of fracturing and the Weekly Standard tosses this out for discussion. They are truly irrelevant.

[knarf]

OK, but if this is not a DeToqueville quote ..... is it ANYONE’S ?

[outofsalt]

[rktman]

“All freedom loving people’s will NOT have possession of firearms interfered with”. Alexis de Tocqueville. Sounds good.

[Vendome]

If I recall, he said that on April 16, 1865

[cyclotic]

When I first learned Toqueville never actually wrote this, I began to get very careful about quotes and now almost always check the accuracy first.

A couple months ago, I read a quote attributed to Churchville and could not find it anywhere else. I came across a website online dedicated to Churchill quotes. I emailed to ask them and got a return email rather quickly concluding that the quote was not uttered by Sir Winston.

The man who responded to me was Winston Churchill’s grandson. How cool is that?

[Rurudyne]

Pffft! Do I need to bring up what Chester A. Arthur said about “/s” comments?

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Tocqueville: "You didn't build that."
 

[MosesKnows]

America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.

I believe this observation has great merit and if not already attributed I would like to claim credit.

[alstewartfan]

All these years I had believed that IGNORANCE is strength!

[alstewartfan]

Quoth Tocqueville to Noah.

[alstewartfan]

OK, Big Shot, but in which year did he exclaim, “Death to America”?

[TigersEye]

Next we’ll find out that General Anthony McAuliffe never said “nuts!”

[JBW1949]

Also, the inventer of the Internet, Al Gore....

[JBW1949]

No...That was my drill instructor...He said, as we were lining up...”Nuts....to butts!!!!!!”