August 26, 2009

America's Greatness

"I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers-and it was not there,...in her fertile fields and boundless forests-and it was not there,...in her rich mines and her vast world commerce-and it was not there...Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."

-Alexis de Tocqueville as quoted in The Inevitable Apostasy (The new favorite book, you should check it out)

2 comments:

Laura and Jared said...

You know, everywhere I have lived, except the Bay Area, it is completely normal to go to curch and believe and want to be good---I mean, I love the Bay Area, but old fashioned religious beliefs are not as prevalent as other places. Still, it is becoming less and less, and people need to understand that being good is a great thing.

Carrie said...

Well Geez, talk about making me miss America!!!! ;) This is one of the best quotes I've ever read!! Seriously, it almost brought a tear to my eye. The signs of the times sure seem to be upon us, and it's scary to think about the majority of the people choosing evil... But I guess we just need to keep on choosing good and everything will be okay!! Thanks for sharing - I'm going to have to see if I can find a copy of that book somewhere... except I kind of doubt I'll be able to get my hands on a copy over here! Maybe Amazon ships internationally.... ;) xoxo