“As more and more citizens express what they think, and defend it in writing, that will change the way people understand public issues. It is easy to be wrong and misguided in your head. It is harder when the product of your mind can be criticized by others. Of course, it is a rare human who admits that he has been persuaded that he is wrong. But it is even rarer for a human to ignore when he has been proven wrong. The writing of ideas, arguments, and criticism improves democracy.” PeopleThinkingWayWritingMindHumansHas BeensIdeasCoursesEasyDemocracyIssuesProductsCitizensArgumentCriticismHarderProvenMisguidedProven Wrong Book:Free Culture Source: Free Culture
“The basis of democracy is tolerance to criticism. If you can't face criticism, if you can't accept it, then you cannot guard democracy, you are not eligible for it.” IfsFacesAcceptingDemocracyCriticismIndiaBasesElectionTolerance Author:Narendra Modi
“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.” PeopleHumansMeanIdeasSelfMatterStatesLawChurchRaceDemocracyRightsExpressionCivilizationAchievementConscienceCriticismWestHuman RightsSeparationCreedsChurch And StateGreat IdeaRule Of LawSeparation Of Church And StateRationalismFull PotentialSearch For TruthDisinterestedSelf CriticismLiberal Democracy Book:Virgins? What Virgins?: And Other Essays Source: Virgins? What Virgins?: And Other Essays
“Self-Criticism is the secret weapon of democracy, and candor and confession are good for the political soul.” SoulSelfPoliticalSecretDemocracyWeaponsCriticismConfessionCandorSelf Criticism Author:Adlai Stevenson I
“Democracy is about criticism. I didn't elect Obama because he's a black; I voted for Obama because he was the right person at the time. Period. The exceptionalism of a black U.S. President is not important to me. It's what he does. And who he has at the table. And what he does to change the world - that's what's important.” WorldPersonsDoeImportantBlackPresidentDemocracyPeriodsCriticismTablesChanging The WorldWhat's ImportantRight PersonTime PeriodsExceptionalism Author:Danny Glover
“People who thought that she was busy going around trying to stir up difficulty where there was none or less than she imagined, were quite critical of her. She was, we must never forget, a public figure. And in democracies, public figures tend to attract criticism as well as praise. The most dangerous thing would be if anybody were regarded as above criticism. And Eleanor Roosevelt is, in recent years, getting there.” PeopleIfsTryingYearsWellsWould BeForgetDemocracyDangerousFiguresCriticismDifficultyPraiseBusyCriticalNever ForgetDangerous ThingsEleanorPublic Figures Author:William A. Rusher