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Democracy Quotes

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Democracy Quotes

“The faith in reason insists that the poverty of democracy offers a greater hope for mankind than the prosperity that attaches itself to aristocracy or despotism.”

Reason Poverty Democracy Greater Mankind Offers Prosperity Aristocracy Despotism

Author:Bill Vaughan

“The greatest characters the world has known, have rose on the democratic floor. Aristocracy has not been able to keep a proportionate pace with democracy.”

World Character Able Known Democracy Rose Democratic Pace Aristocracy

Book:The Political Writings of Thomas Paine: To which is Prefixed a Brief Sketch of the Author's Life

Source: The Political Writings of Thomas Paine: To which is Prefixed a Brief Sketch of the Author's Life

“The country is headed toward a single and splendid government of an aristocracy founded on banking institutions and moneyed incorporations and if this tendency continues it will be the end of freedom and democracy, the few will be ruling...I hope we shall...crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations which dare already to challenge our government to trial and bid defiance to the laws of our country. I sincerely believe that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.”

“They that are discontented under monarchy, call it tyranny; and they that are displeased with aristocracy, call it oligarchy: so also, they which find themselves grieved under a democracy, call it anarchy, which signifies the want of government; and yet I think no man believes, that want of government, is any new kind of government.”

Thinking Men Want Believe Kind Government Democracy Tyranny Anarchy Monarchy Aristocracy Oligarchy

Author:Thomas Hobbes

“It depends on the consent of the people to decide whether kings or consuls or other magistrates are to be established in authority over them, and if there is legitimate cause, the people can change a kingdom into an aristocracy, or an aristocracy into a democracy, and vice versa, as we read was done in Rome.”

People Ifs Done Wisdom Politics Causes Economy Democracy Depends Kings Authority Vices Kingdoms Liberalism Rome Consent Vice Versa Aristocracy Magistrates People Can Change

Author:Robert Bellarmine

“Democracy has two excesses to avoid: the spirit of inequality, which leads to an aristocracy, or to the government of a single individual; and the spirit of extreme equality, which conducts it to despotism, as the despotism of a single individual finishes by conquest.”

Two Wisdom Government Spirit Politics Individual Economy Democracy Extremes Inequality Liberalism Excess Conquest Aristocracy Despotism Democracies Have

Author:Baron de Montesquieu

“A mercantile democracy may govern long and widely; a mercantile aristocracy cannot stand.”

May Long Government Democracy Aristocracy

Book:Literary Hours

Source: Literary Hours

“laughter, that distinctively human emotion, laughter which springs from trust in the other, from willingness to put oneself momentarily in the other's place, even at one's own expense, is the special emotional basis of democratic procedures, just as pride is the emotion of an aristocracy, shame of a crowd that rules, and fear of a police state.”

Humans States Emotion Democracy Special Emotional Pride Spring Laughter Bases Police Shame Democratic Oneself Crowds Expenses Willingness Procedures Aristocracy Police State Human Emotions

Author:Margaret Mead

“Monarchy hardens into despotism. Aristocracy contracts into oligarchy. Democracy expands into the supremacy of numbers.”

Numbers Democracy Contracts Monarchy Aristocracy Despotism Supremacy Oligarchy

Book:The History of Freedom (and other Essays)

Source: The History of Freedom (and other Essays)

“In an autocracy, one person has his way; in an aristocracy, a few people have their way; in a democracy, no one has his way.”

People Way Persons Democracy Aristocracy Autocracy

Book:The decline and fall of science

Source: The decline and fall of science

“Democracy entails a correlation between the public interest as expressed by a majority of the population and the governmental policies that affect them. The term encompasses various manifestations, including direct, participatory and representative democracy, but Governments must be responsive to people and not to special interests such as the military-industrial complex, financial bankers and transnational corporations. Democracy is inclusive and does not privilege an anthropological aristocracy.”

“The perversions are as follows: of royalty, tyranny; of aristocracy, oligarchy; of constitutional government, democracy.”

Government Democracy Tyranny Royalty Aristocracy Perversion Oligarchy Constitutional Government

Book:Politics

Source: Politics

“Just as a royal rule, if not a mere name, must exist by virtue of some great personal superiority in the king, so tyranny, which is the worst of governments, is necessarily the farthest removed from a well-constituted form; oligarchy is little better, for it is a long way from aristocracy, and democracy is the most tolerable of the three.”

Ifs Way Wells Littles Long Government Form Three Names Virtue Democracy Worst Kings Mere Tyranny Superiority Royal Long Way Aristocracy Tolerable Oligarchy Great Person

Book:The Essential Aristotle

Source: The Essential Aristotle

“Of governments there are said to be only two forms - democracy and oligarchy. For aristocracy is considered to be a kind of oligarchy, as being the rule of a few, and the so-called constitutional government to be really a democracy.”

Kind Said Two Government Form Democracy Aristocracy Oligarchy Constitutional Government

Book:Aristotle: The Politics and the Constitution of Athens

Source: Aristotle: The Politics and the Constitution of Athens

“There are still two forms besides democracy and oligarchy; one of them is universally recognized and included among the four principal forms of government, which are said to be (1) monarchy, (2) oligarchy, (3) democracy, and (4) the so-called aristocracy or government of the best. But there is also a fifth, which retains the generic name of polity or constitutional government.”

Said Stills Two Government Form Names Democracy Four Principal Fifth Monarchy Aristocracy Forms Of Government Oligarchy Generic Constitutional Government Generic Name

Book:The Essential Aristotle

Source: The Essential Aristotle

“There is a vulgar persuasion, that the ignorance of women, by favoring their subordination, ensures their utility. 'Tis the same argument employed by the ruling few against the subject many in aristocracies; by the rich against the poor in democracies; by the learned professions against the people in all countries.”

People Country Poor Democracy Rich Subjects Ignorance Argument Profession Persuasion Employed Vulgar Ruling Utility Aristocracy Elitism Subordination

Book:Course of popular lectures as delivered by Frances Wright: with three addresses on various public occasions, and a reply to the charges against the French reformers of 1789. Second edition

Source: Course of popular lectures as delivered by Frances Wright: with three addresses on various public occasions, and a reply to the charges against the French reformers of 1789. Second edition

“To make Democracy work, you need an aristocratic democracy. To make Aristocracy work, you need a democratic aristocracy.”

Needs Democracy Democratic Aristocracy Aristocratic

Book:The Collected Works of George Bernard Shaw: Plays, Novels, Articles, Letters and Essays: Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Candida, Arms and The Man, Man and Superman, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion, The New York Times Articles on War, Memories of Oscar Wilde and more

Source: The Collected Works of George Bernard Shaw: Plays, Novels, Articles, Letters and Essays: Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Candida, Arms and The Man, Man and Superman, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion, The New York Times Articles on War, Memories of Oscar Wilde and more

“I don't believe any more in democracy. But I can't believe in the old sort of aristocracy, either, nor can I wish it back, splendid as it was. What I believe in is the old Homeric aristocracy, when the grandeur was inside a man, and he lived in a simple wooden house.”

Men Believe I Can House I Believe Wish Simple Democracy Don't Believe Simplicity I Believe In Splendid Grandeur Aristocracy Wooden House

Author:D. H. Lawrence

“Brave people add up to an aristocracy. The democracy of thou-shalt-not is bound to be a collection of weak men.”

People Men Democracy Weakness Weak Add Brave Bounds Collections Aristocracy Weak Man

Book:Delphi Complete Works of D.H. Lawrence (Illustrated)

Source: Delphi Complete Works of D.H. Lawrence (Illustrated)

“Thus, experience has ever shown, that education, as well as religion, aristocracy, as well as democracy and monarchy, are, singly, totally inadequate to the business of restraining the passions of men, of preserving a steady government, and protecting the lives, liberties, and properties of the people . . . . Religion, superstition, oaths, education, laws, all give way before passions, interest, and power, which can be resisted only by passions, interest, and power.”

People Men Way Giving Wells Government Law Passion Interest Liberty Democracy Human Nature Property Steady Superstitions Monarchy Oath Inadequate Aristocracy Restraining

Author:John Adams

“Shall we have recourse to the art of printing? But this has not destroyed property or aristocracy or corporations or paper wealth in England or America, or diminished the influence of either; on the contrary, it has multiplied aristocracy and diminished democracy.”

Art America Wealth Democracy Influence Paper England Property Contrary Destroyed Corporations Printing Aristocracy Recourse

Book:The Political Writings of John Adams

Source: The Political Writings of John Adams

“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. It is in vain to say that democracy is less vain, less proud, less selfish, less ambitious, or less avaricious than aristocracy or monarchy. It is not true, in fact, and nowhere appears in history. Those passions are the same in all men, under all forms of simple government, and when unchecked, produce the same effects of fraud, violence, and cruelty.”

“I do not say that democracy has been more pernicious on the whole, and in the long run, than monarchy or aristocracy. Democracy has never been and never can be so durable as aristocracy or monarchy; but while it lasts, it is more bloody than either.”

Long Has Beens Whole Running Lasts Democracy Long Runs Bloody Monarchy Aristocracy Democracies Have Pernicious

Book:The Political Writings of John Adams

Source: The Political Writings of John Adams

“Democracy may become frenzied, but it has feelings and can be moved. As for aristocracy, it is always cold and never forgives.”

May Feelings Democracy Cold Moved Forgiving Aristocracy Never Forgive

Book:Napoleon in his own words from the French of Jules Bertaut

Source: Napoleon in his own words from the French of Jules Bertaut

“Thus our democracy was from an early period the most aristocratic, and our aristocracy the most democratic.”

Democracy Periods Democratic Aristocracy Aristocratic

Author:Thomas B. Macaulay

“This rationale, which justified the mixed constitution of Great Britain, might have made some sense in 1776, but by 1787 most American thinkers had come to believe that all parts of their balanced governments represented in one way or another the sovereign people. They had left the Aristotelian idea of mixed estates - monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy - way behind. [John] Adams had not, and his stubbornness on this point caused him no end of trouble.”