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Democracy Quotes

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Democracy Quotes

“Democracy is fatal for the arts; it leads only to chaos or the achievement of new and lower common denominators of quality.”

Art Common Quality Democracy Achievement Chaos Common Denominator

Author:Walter Legge

“The highfalutin aims of democracy, whether real or imaginary, are always assumed to be identical with its achievements. This, of course, is sheer hallucination. Not one of those aims, not even the aim of giving every adult a vote, has been realized. It has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good.”

Men Giving Has Beens Made Real Courses Christianity Democracy Wise Achievement Adults Vote Aim Imaginary Sheer Identical Hallucinations

Author:H. L. Mencken

“The establishment of religious freedom was no less momentous an achievement than the clearing of the great forest or the winning of independence, for the twin doctrines of separation of church and state and liberty of individual conscience are the marrow of our democracy, if not indeed America's most magnificent contribution to the freeing of Western man.”

“In Switzerland they had brotherly love, five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock!”

Love Years Peace Democracy Five Produce Achievement Hundred Clock Switzerland Brotherly Brotherly Love Cuckoos Cuckoo Clocks

Book:The third man: a film

Source: The third man: a film

“Pick the topic you like: the Middle East, international terrorism, Central America, whatever it is - the picture of the world that's presented to the public has only the remotest relation to reality. The truth of the matter is buried under edifice after edifice of lies upon lies. It's all been a marvelous success from the point of view in deterring the threat of democracy, achieved under conditions of freedom, which is extremely interesting. It's not like a totalitarian state, where it's done by force. These achievements are under conditions of freedom.”

Source: Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda

“I am convinced that in the arts, committees are useless. What is necessary are people like Karajan, [fellow recording producer John] Culshaw and me; we know not only how to achieve the best artistic results but how to attract the public and carry out the whole operation with carefully chosen collaborators. Democracy is fatal for the arts; it leads only to chaos or the achievement of new and lower common denominators of quality.”

“Every profession has an ideology and a drive for power that goes far beyond its achievements and it is the task of democracy to keep this ideology and this drive under control. Science is here no different from other institutions.”

Different Democracy Achievement Tasks Institutions Profession Ideology

Author:Paul Feyerabend

“The great ideas of the West - rationalism, self-criticism, the disinterested search for truth, the separation of church and state, the rule of law, equality before the law, freedom of conscience, thought, and expression, human rights, and liberal democracy- quite an achievement, surely, for any civilization- - remain the best, and perhaps the only, means for all people, no matter of what race or creed, to reach their full potential and live in freedom.”

Source: Virgins? What Virgins?: And Other Essays

“While we enjoy the benefits of living in the greatest democracy in the world, we must be ever conscious of the fact that none of the achievements or freedoms enjoyed in America would be possible without the price that has been paid for by our servicemen.”

World Has Beens Facts Would Be America Enjoy Democracy Achievement Benefits Conscious Paid Enjoyed Servicemen

Author:Mark Kennedy

“I can think of few more worthy achievements than keeping a library alive and well for a century. As far as I am concerned, one of the absolute backbones of a free society and a democracy is the library offering access to a treasure house of information to all.”

Thinking Wells I Can House Democracy Alive Century Information Achievement Concerned Absolutes Library Worthy Access Treasure Offering Free Society Backbone

Author:Gillian Roberts

“The victory of democracy in South Africa is the common achievement of all humanity.”

Humanity Common Democracy Victory Achievement South South Africa Long Walk To Freedom

Author:Nelson Mandela

“We have laid the foundation for a better life. Things that were unimaginable a few years ago have become everyday reality. I belong to the generation of leaders for whom the achievement of democracy was the defining challenge.”

Years Reality Challenges Leader Democracy Generations Achievement Years Ago Foundation Everyday Better Life Defining Unimaginable

Author:Nelson Mandela

“If I were a German today, I would be proud, proud but also worried. I would be proud of the magnificent achievement of rebuilding my country, entrenching democracy and assuming the undoubtedly preponderant position in Europe. But a united Germany can't and won't subordinate its national interests in economic or in foreign policy to those of the Community indefinitely. Germany's new pre-eminence is a fact - and its power is a problem - as much for Germans as for the rest of Europe.”

Source: As I said to Denis--: the Margaret Thatcher book of quotations

“So yes in theory there is a kind of a formal democracy and in many ways these were achievements and an improvement over the feudal system and more advanced than anything else in the world, but nothing that we ought to call democracy.”

World Way Kind Democracy Theory Ought Achievement Improvement Formal Feudal System

Author:Noam Chomsky