The health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens.

The line expresses a Tocquevillean idea: democracies thrive not only through formal institutions but through citizens’ habits of self-government—serving on juries, joining associations, participating in local administration, and taking responsibility for public affairs. Read this way, “health” is a civic metric: when ordinary people competently perform public-spirited roles outside the state, democracy gains resilience, trust, and practical problem-solving capacity. Conversely, if citizens withdraw into private life and leave public functions to officials alone, democratic life can hollow out, making society more vulnerable to apathy, polarization, or soft despotism. The quote elevates civic participation as both a symptom and a cause of democratic vitality.