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Democracy Quotes

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Democracy Quotes

“Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.”

Source: The Politics of Education: Culture, Power, and Liberation

“And every historic effort to forge a democratic project has been undermined by two fundamental realities: poverty and paranoia. The persistence of poverty generates levels of despair that deepen social conflict the escalation of paranoia produces levels of distrust that reinforce cultural division. Rae is the most explosive issue in American life precisely because it forces us to confront the tragic facts of poverty and paranoia despair, and distrust. In short, a candid examination of race matters takes us to the core of the crisis of American democracy (p. 107).”

Source: Race Matters: With a New Introduction

“Indeed, it is impossible to be neutral. In a world already moving in certain directions, where wealth and power are already distributed in certain ways, neutrality means accepting the way things are now. It is a world of clashing interests war against peace, nationalism against internationalism, equality against greed, and democracy against elitism and it seems to me both impossible and undesirable to be neutral in those conflicts.”

Source: Passionate Declarations: Essays on War and Justice

“Having gathered all power to itself, [the State] has become the sole focus of all conflict, and it must construct totalitarian defences to match its total exposure.”

States Democracy Focus Conflict Sole Constructs Exposure Defence

Author:Anthony de Jasay

“The method of democracy is to bring conflicts out into the open where their special claims can be seen and appraised, where they can be discussed and judged.”

Democracy Special Conflict Claims Method Judged

Book:The Political Writings

Source: The Political Writings

“The war industries in many countries and the enormous trade in weapons of all kinds generate corruption and fuel conflict throughout the world. The existence of an immensely powerful military-industrial complex constitutes a danger to democracy, both internationally and domestically, because it follows its own logic and operates independently of popular participation.”

“H.L.Mencken's war aims, according to the handful of observers who deigned to notice his conflict, were the overthrow of American Democracy, the Christian religion, and the YMCA. He was also credited with trying to wipe out poets and luncheon orators.”

Trying Art War Christian Democracy Poet Conflict Aim Entertainment Observers Handful Wipe Orators American Democracy Ymca

Book:Letters from Bohemia

Source: Letters from Bohemia

“Constant conflict is actually often good politics. Because the more you can inflame your supporters the more likely they are to show up at election day. And if they're more inflamed than the other side, even if the other side has more people agreeing with it, you'll win, because your crowd will show up.”

“Democracy necessarily means a conflict of will and ideas, involving sometimes a war of the knife between different ideas.”

Mean Ideas Different War Sometimes Democracy Conflict Knives Involving Different Ideas

Book:Collected Works

Source: Collected Works

“It was a charming fantasy of romantics that the spies would stop spying, that political conflict would end and politicians would tell the truth. Unfortunately that has not been the case.”

Ends Political Cases Fantasy Democracy Politician Conflict Telling The Truth Charming Spy

Author:John le Carre

“We visual communicators have so much good to share: rather than sharing our chemical and style addictions, we could be using our professional skills to help communicate health information, conflict resolution, democracy, technology.”

Helping Technology Democracy Share Style Information Skills Conflict Addiction Communicate Visuals Resolution Chemicals Conflict Resolution Communicators

Author:David Berman

“I recognize the need to provide the press - and, through you, the American people - with information to the fullest extent possible. In our democracy, the work of the Pentagon press corps is important, defending our freedom and way of life is what this conflict is about, and that certainly includes freedom of the press.”

People Way Needs Important Life Is Democracy Information Conflict Presses Freedom Of The Press Pentagon

Author:Donald Rumsfeld

“There's a real danger when people get distracted by peripheral issues. They get distracted by democracy building. They get distracted about military conflicts. We need to focus on defeating jihadism.”

People Needs Real Democracy Issues Focus Military Danger Building Conflict Distracted

Author:Ted Cruz