There is this unique cowboy bar (imagine that) near us that we occasionally go to. It is one of the more popular places, and you can’t even get near it if you go anytime after 4:00 p.m.

There is cold beer, great food, reasonable prices, and more Second Amendment signs than an NRA convention. But this isn’t an ad for the place; it is more of a commentary on some of the signs.

Some are humorous.

“The only reason to ride a bull is to meet a nurse.”

Others are serious comments on society.

But there is a catch.

Some of them are attributed quotes but not necessarily correct or accurate. Like many things posted on the web, attributions to, say, Thomas Jefferson, Mark Twain, Albert Einstein, or someone of historical, literary, or scientific note add the aura of credibility if not the reality.

But a few caught my eye and sounded legitimate, so I, of course, decided to research them.

“All tyranny needs to succeed is for men of good conscience to do nothing.”

The quote is attributed to Thomas Jefferson or Edmund Burke. Neither of whom, it turns out, ever said or wrote it, according to most research. All tyranny needs to gain a foothold…(Spurious Quotation) | Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello

But it does sound good.

Here’s the next one, and this one irritated me.

Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.” – Alexis de Tocqueville 

Now his Democracy in America (814 pages in Kindle format over two volumes) is considered a classic. It is an interesting read, if a bit tedious. So, of course, the quote on the sign is an edited version.

Original quote:

“There is in fact a manly and legitimate passion for equality that spurs all men to wish to be strong and esteemed. This passion tends to elevate the lesser to the rank of the greater. But one also finds in the human heart a depraved taste for equality, which impels the weak to want to bring the strong down to their level, and which reduces men to preferring equality in servitude to inequality in freedom.” Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville

Now, de Tocqueville was an aristocrat and a bit enamored of the special place in society someone like himself was entitled to by birth. He got much right about America and the differences between us and Europe, but he missed the point on our embracing equality and eschewing the nonsense of Lordships and Ladyships.

Americans would never accept equality at the price of slavery. Americans demand equal opportunity that is not controlled by title, birthright, or lineage. What a person does with their opportunity may be greater or lesser than others, but as long as they have the chance, that satisfies the guarantees of the Constitution.

The gods know that many Americans seek to blame their misfortune on others. Thankfully, a greater number rise above their difficulties and achieve a measure of success.

And then there is this gem—a legitimate quote that I fear we will not see replicated under the current administration.

“I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone”.  John F. Kennedy

We stand no chance of such eloquence until 2029.