“In capitalist society we have a democracy that is curtailed, wretched, false, a democracy only for the rich, for the minority. The dictatorship of the proletariat, the period of transition to communism, will for the first time create democracy for the people, for the majority, along with the necessary suppression of the exploiters, of the minority.” PeopleFirstsDemocracyRichPeriodsFirst TimeMajorityCommunismMinoritiesTransitionCapitalistDictatorshipWretchedSuppressionProletariat Author:Vladimir Lenin
“When I was young I once found a book in a Dutch translation, 'The leaves of Grass'. It was the first time a book touched me by its feeling of freedom and open spaces, the way the poet spoke of the ocean by describing a drop of water in his hand. Walt Whitman was offering the world an open hand (now we call it democracy) and my 'Monument for Walt Whitman' became this open hand with mirrors, so you can see inside yourself.” WorldWayFirstsBookFeelingsHandsYoungFoundWaterSpaceDemocracyPoetOceanFirst TimeMirrorsGrassTouchedSpokesOfferingTranslationsMonumentDescribingDutchWaltLeaves Of GrassDrop Of WaterOpen Spaces Author:Karel Appel
“For the first time in our history, the winners of the White House Turkey Pardon were chosen through a highly competitive online vote. And once again, Nate Silver completely nailed it. The guy is amazing.” FirstsGuyHousePoliticsNatureLeadershipWhiteHistoryDemocracyComedyGenerationsPolicyFirst TimeVoteIndividualityChosenIdeologyWinnerVotingSilverOnlineWhite HouseTurkeysFarmingPardon Author:Barack Obama
“One of the things that I realized when I left office was that in the 1990's citizens across the world applied more power than they had ever had, as compared with the government, because of more people living under democracies than dictatorships for the first time, the power of the internet, which the young Chinese used to basically change China's policy on the SARS epidemic, and shut it down, and because of the rise in non-governmental organizations like my foundation.” PeopleWorldFirstsGovernmentYoungUsedLeftDemocracyPolicyInternetCitizensOfficeFirst TimeOrganizationDown AndFoundationChinaI RealizedChineseDictatorshipEpidemicsSars Author:William J. Clinton
“I used to do volunteer work in poor areas of Cairo, and people would gather their money together to get a satellite dish. You'd see them huddling around and for the first time seeing issues being debated on TV that had never been talked about before. And that is the biggest promoter of democracy you could possibly have.” PeopleFirstsTogetherUsedPoorDemocracyIssuesSeeingTvsFirst TimeAreasDishesVolunteerSatellitesPromotersCairoVolunteer Work Author:Jehane Noujaim
“Democracy is messy. It is messy whether you've been doing it since 1789 or whether you're going to do it for the first time in 2005. The trouble with Democracy is, you hold elections. The trouble with dictatorships is...you don't.” FirstsDemocracyTroubleFirst TimeElectionDictatorshipMessy Author:Rich Galen
“Seeing that the 97's are a democracy through and through, inevitably, some of these tons of songs I write will get vetoed. The first time that happened (and every time thereafter), I consoled myself with the thought that sooner or later I'd make a solo record” WritingFirstsSongDemocracyRecordsSeeingHappenedFirst TimeSooner Or LaterSolo Author:Rhett Miller