Sunday, February 3, 2013

Two Pages a Day... A Bookish Goal

     Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville is one of those books I think everyone in America should read at least once.  I know I've been meaning to read it for a long time.  (It's been gathering dust on my shelves for years.)  So I pulled it out a few weeks ago, dusted it off, and decided that this year is the year I'm going to read it.  It's 703 pages long, and I figured out that if I read just two pages a day I can finish it by the end of the year.
     So far, I'm on track.  Two pages a day isn't hard, after all, and I've even managed to read more than that on more than one occasion.  (Which is a good thing because last week I accidentally skipped several days in a row.)  
     Democracy in America:   83 pages down;  620 pages to go.


     "Democracy extends the sphere of individual freedom; socialism restricts it.  Democracy attaches all possible value to each man; socialism makes each man a mere number.  Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word:  equality.  But notice the difference:  while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude."     --Alexis de Tocqueville

2 comments:

  1. I am eager to follow your progress! I, too, have meant to read this book for years. If you make it, maybe I will make it my goal next year. Thanks for posting the great quote.

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  2. that is a great quote. One that plenty of folks in Washington would do well to revisit and re-commit to following.

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