“It is truly difficult to make a democracy. Democracy, like arty dream, is not made with spiritual words but with reflection and practice. It is not what I say that says I am a democrat, that I am not racist or machista but what I do. What I say must not be contradicted by what I do. It is what I do that bespeaks my faithfulness or not to what I say.” MadeDreamSpiritualDifficultPracticeDemocracySocietyReflectionDemocratRacistFaithfulness Author:Paulo Freire
“I think art has a right — not an obligation — to be difficult if it wishes. And, since people generally go on from this to talk about elitism versus democracy, I would add that genuinely difficult art is truly democratic.” PeopleIfsThinkingArtWishDifficultDemocracyGoes OnArt IsAddDemocraticObligationVersusElitism Author:Geoffrey Hill
“Democracy is a difficult art of government, demanding of its citizens high ratios of courage and literacy, and at the moment we lack both the necessary habits of mind and a sphere of common reference.” MindArtMomentsGovernmentDifficultCommonDemocracyHabitCitizensSpheresLiteracyRatiosHabits Of Mind Book:Waiting for the Barbarians Source: Waiting for the Barbarians
“Democracy is premised, in some measure, on majority rule, and democracy is difficult in a situation of concentrated inequalities in which a large, impoverished majority confronts a small, wealthy oligarchy.” DifficultSituationDemocracyMajorityInequalityWealthyOligarchyMajority Rule Book:The Third Wave: Democratization in the Late 20th Century Source: The Third Wave: Democratization in the Late 20th Century
“There is always an element of realpolitik that has to be present in the conduct of any nation's national security affairs. At the same time, we have to also have a balance between realpolitik and Wilsonian principles of freedom and democracy and human rights. And maintaining that balance is the greatest challenge that we in the West, including the Federal Republic of Germany, have to face because it's many times a very difficult decision-making process.” HumansFacesNationsProcessDifficultChallengesDecisionPrinciplesDemocracyRightsSecurityBalanceElementsWestIncludingAffairHuman RightsGermanyDecision MakingRepublicNational SecurityMaintainingDifficult DecisionsDecision Making ProcessDemocracy And Human RightsRealpolitik Author:John McCain
“The Germans should be the first to sympathize with us [Egyptians]. They know how difficult it is to build a democracy following a dictatorship, and they were the first to be critical of Morsi's anti-democratic policies.” KnowsShouldFirstsDifficultKnow HowDemocracyPolicyDemocraticFollowingCriticalDictatorship Author:Mohamed ElBaradei
“It will be difficult, even painful, but democracy will prevail in Russia. There will be no dictatorship, although relapses into authoritarianism are possible.” DifficultDemocracyPainfulRussiaDictatorshipAuthoritarianismRelapse Author:Mikhail Gorbachev
“The political system of the People's Republic of China can make things easy. Decisions are made quickly and results come quickly, too. In our democracy [in India], on the other hand, such things are extremely difficult.” PeopleMadeHandsPoliticalEasyDifficultDecisionResultsDemocracyIndiaChinaRepublicPolitical Systems Author:Ratan Tata
“As Americans, we have shown ourselves to have the greatest military on the face of the planet, but we are not so very good at anticipating threats and appreciating just how difficult it is to build up stable democracies, to make the investments and sustainable development that we must as a nation if we are to attack the root causes of these sorts of instability.” IfsFacesNationsCausesDifficultDemocracyMilitaryPlanetsDevelopmentAppreciateRootsThreatInvestmentVery GoodStableSustainable DevelopmentInstabilityRoot CauseGreatest Military Author:Martin O'Malley
“It's very difficult to have any faith in the sincerity of the SLORC about stamping out drug production if they find it so easy to forgive a drug baron whom at one time they said they would never, never forgive and would never, never regard as anything but a drug runner. The SLORC is far more aggressive in its attitude toward the National League for Democracy than against drug traffickers.” IfsSaidEasyDifficultAttitudeDemocracyDrugRegardForgivingProductionsLeagueSincerityAggressiveOne TimeRunnersThey SaidNever Forgive Author:Aung San Suu Kyi
“Vaclav Havel was the most amazing man in terms of being the combination of somebody with massive moral authority, great courage for having espoused the concepts of democracy, freedom throughout a very difficult communist period, a very modest man, and somebody with a fabulous sense of humor and the idea of being able to see the absurd in situations.” MenIdeasAbleDifficultTermSituationMoralDemocracyPeriodsAuthorityConceptsAbsurdCombinationMassiveSense Of HumorCommunistModestFabulousMost AmazingDemocracy FreedomMoral AuthorityAmazing Man Author:Judy Woodruff
“The American system is, in many ways, more difficult, certainly far more expensive and much longer than a parliamentary system, and I really admire the people who subject themselves to it. Even when I, you know, think they should not be elected president, I still think, well, you know, good for you I guess, you're out there promoting democracy and those crazy ideas of yours.” PeopleThinkingKnowsWayShouldWellsStillsIdeasDifficultPresidentDemocracyCrazySubjectsAdmireExpensivePromotingParliamentaryCrazy IdeasParliamentary System Author:Hillary Clinton
“This is a very difficult assignment for the United States, to hang in there and help this young democracy survive.” StatesHelpingYoungDifficultUnitedUnited StatesDemocracyAssignmentsHang In There Author:George W. Bush
“If you've worked together with somebody very well, leave-taking is very difficult. But we are all politicians. We all know that democracy lives off change. So, in the United States of America, the Constitution has very clear stipulations on this. It's a tough rule. Eight years and that's it, out goes the president and a new one comes in.” IfsKnowsYearsWellsStatesTogetherAmericaDifficultPresidentUnitedUnited StatesDemocracyClearPoliticianToughConstitutionEightUnited States Of AmericaStipulations Author:Angela Merkel
“How do we preserve our civil rights, our traditions as a liberal democracy, in a time when government power is expanding and is more and more difficult to check?” GovernmentDifficultDemocracyRightsTraditionChecksCivil RightsPreservesExpandingLiberal Democracy Author:Edward Snowden
“It is quite difficult to establish a clear-cut cause-and-effect relationship, as the causes are manifold and closely connected. It is simply not correct to link the level of democracy to prosperity. It is absolutely clear that the economic wealth of Saudi Arabia exceeds the performance of the Czech Republic. But apparently democracy is quite stable in the Czech Republic, which cannot be said about Saudi Arabia. As we delve into the past, we must not forget about the existing model of society.” SaidPastCausesDifficultWealthForgetLevelsDemocracyClearCuttingEconomicEffectsModelsPerformancesProsperityConnectedLinksRepublicStableExceedCause And EffectArabiaSaudi ArabiaSaudisManifoldCzechCzech Republic Author:Garry Kasparov