Got an email with the following alleged quote at the end:
As one digs deeper into the national character of the Americans, one sees that they have sought the value of everything in this world only in the answer to this single question: how much money will it bring in?
— Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-59), French social philosopher, author of “Democracy in America”
As he was a famous French historian, Tocqueville gets quoted (and misquoted) constantly (see this site for a prominent example). A Google search today lists 186 results, which isn’t much if this is indeed legitimate. Wikiquote says its unsourced.
My thought is that its bogus. Maybe I’ll track it down, too.
Probably a good call. My general understanding of the French Historian is that he marveled at our freedoms (both economic and otherwise) as well as our optimism. The cynical nature of the quote doesn’t match up.