"The principle of democracy is corrupted not only when the spirit of equality is extinct, but likewise when they fall into a spirit of extreme equality, and when each citizen would fain be upon a level with those whom he has chosen to command him. Then the people, incapable of bearing the very power they have delegated, want to manage everything themselves, to debate for the senate, to execute for the magistrate, and to decide for the judges. When this is the case, virtue can no longer subsist in the republic."
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Ch. 2: Of the Corruption of the Principles of Democracy
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Spirit_of_the_Laws
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The Spirit of the Laws
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