“We must face the bitter fact that we have forsaken our great dream of a life of, for, and by the people; that the burning passions and ideals of the American dream lie congealed by cold cynicism. Great parts of the masses of our people no longer believe that they have a voice or a hand in shaping the destiny of this nation. They have not forsaken democracy because of any desire or positive action of their own; they have been driven down into the depths of a great despair born of frustration, hopelessness, and apathy. A democracy lacking in popular participation dies of paralysis.” PeopleBelieveHas BeensFactsDreamHandsActionAmericaFacesLyingDesireDiesPassionNationsVoiceBornDestinyDemocracyColdDespairMassIdealsDepthDrivenBitterBurningFrustrationApathyCynicismAmerican DreamLackingParticipationHopelessnessParalysisForsakenBurning Passion Author:Saul Alinsky
“We want to be masters of our own destiny. We need no Gods or Emperors. We do not believe in the existence of any saviour. We want to be masters of the world and not instruments used by autocrats to carry out their wild ambitions. We want a modern lifestyle and democracy for the people. Freedom and happiness are our sole objectives in accomplishing modernisation.” PeopleWorldWantNeedsBelieveUsedExistenceDestinyDemocracyAtheismModernMastersAmbitionInstrumentsPositive AtheismLifestyleObjectivesSoleEmperorSaviourFreedom And HappinessModernisation Author:Wei Jingsheng
“It is time to provide a smashing answer for those cynical men who say that a democracy cannot be honest, cannot be efficient.... We have in the darkest moments of our national trials retained our faith in our own ability to master our own destiny.” MenMomentsAbilityAnswersDestinyDemocracyHonestMastersTrialsReformBeing HonestReliefCynicalEfficientSmashing Author:Franklin D. Roosevelt
“I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a temporary license to exist, in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government. It doesn't own you.” PeopleGivingBelieveLongGovernmentIndividualI BelieveDestinyDemocracyCitizensPromiseBehaveTemporaryLicense Author:Frank Zappa
“Pnin slowly walked under solemn pines. The sky was dying. He did not believe in an autocratic God. He did believe, dimly, in a democracy of ghosts. The souls of the dead, perhaps, formed committees, and these, in continuous session, attended the destinies of the quick.” BelieveSoulDestinyDemocracySkyDyingGhostCommitteesSessionSolemn Book:Pnin Source: Pnin
“The values that we talked about, the values democracy and free speech and international norms and rule of law, respecting the ability of other countries to determine their own destiny and preserve their sovereignty and territorial integrity. Things are not something that we can set aside.” CountryLawValuesAbilityDestinyDemocracyIntegritySpeechInternationalDeterminePreservesFree SpeechOther CountriesSovereigntyNormRule Of LawTerritorial Author:Barack Obama