Best democracy & monarchy Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings

“The world has witnessed the rise and fall of monarchy, the rise and fall of dictatorship, the rise and fall of feudalism, the rise and fall of communism, and the rise of democracy; and now we are witnessing the fall of democracy... the theme of the evolution of life continues, sweeping away with it all that does not blossom into perfection.”

World Doe Fall Politics Democracy Evolution Perfection Communism Theme Dictatorship Monarchy Sweeping Rise And Fall Feudalism Evolution Of Life

Author:Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

“The result of cutting [political power] up into little bits is simply that the man who can sweep the greatest number into one heap will govern the rest... In a pure democracy the ruling men will be the wirepullers and their friends; but they will no more be on an equality with the voters than soldiers of Ministers of State are on an equality with the subjects of monarchy.”

Men Littles States Political Bits Results Numbers Democracy Cutting Subjects He Man Pure Little Bit Soldier Ministers Voters Ruling Monarchy Political Power

Book:Liberty, Equality, Fraternity

Source: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity

“They that are discontented under monarchy, call it tyranny; and they that are displeased with aristocracy, call it oligarchy: so also, they which find themselves grieved under a democracy, call it anarchy, which signifies the want of government; and yet I think no man believes, that want of government, is any new kind of government.”

Thinking Men Want Believe Kind Government Democracy Tyranny Anarchy Monarchy Aristocracy Oligarchy

Author:Thomas Hobbes

“In a democracy, every ordinary citizen is effectively a king--but a king in a constitutional democracy, a monarch who decides only formally, whose function is merely to sign off on measures proposed by an executive administration. This is why the problem with democratic rituals is homologous to the great problem of constitutional monarchy: how to protect the dignity of the king? How to maintain the appearance that the king effectively makes decisions, when we all know this not to be true?”

Source: First As Tragedy, Then As Farce

“I cannot help concurring with the opinion that an absolute democracy, no more than absolute monarchy, is to be reckoned among the legitimate forms of government.”

Helping Government Form Opinion Democracy Absolutes Monarchy Forms Of Government Absolute Monarchy

Book:Edmund Burke: Selected Writings and Speeches

Source: Edmund Burke: Selected Writings and Speeches

“Monarchy hardens into despotism. Aristocracy contracts into oligarchy. Democracy expands into the supremacy of numbers.”

Numbers Democracy Contracts Monarchy Aristocracy Despotism Supremacy Oligarchy

Book:The History of Freedom (and other Essays)

Source: The History of Freedom (and other Essays)

“A monarchy is like a man-of-war--bad shots between wind and water hurt it exceedingly; there is danger of capsizing. But democracy is a raft. You cannot easily overturn it. It is a wet place, but it is a pretty safe one.”

Men War Government Water Hurt Democracy Danger Wind Safe Shots Wet Monarchy

Book:Labor, with Preludes on Current Events

Source: Labor, with Preludes on Current Events

“Democracy is something America has never really practiced. Because the Founding Fathers hated two things: monarchy and democracy. They wanted a republic, a replica of the Roman or Venetian republics. They didn't even like the etymology of the word "democracy."”

Two Wanted America Father Democracy Hated Two Things Republic Founding Monarchy Replica Etymology

Author:Gore Vidal

“In the Laws it is maintained that the best constitution is made up of democracy and tyranny, which are either not constitutions at all, or are the worst of all. But they are nearer the truth who combine many forms; for the constitution is better which is made up of more numerous elements. The constitution proposed in the Laws has no element of monarchy at all; it is nothing but oligarchy and democracy, leaning rather to oligarchy.”

Made Government Form Law Democracy Worst Elements Constitution Tyranny Monarchy Oligarchy

Book:Aristotle: The Politics and the Constitution of Athens

Source: Aristotle: The Politics and the Constitution of Athens

“There are still two forms besides democracy and oligarchy; one of them is universally recognized and included among the four principal forms of government, which are said to be (1) monarchy, (2) oligarchy, (3) democracy, and (4) the so-called aristocracy or government of the best. But there is also a fifth, which retains the generic name of polity or constitutional government.”

Said Stills Two Government Form Names Democracy Four Principal Fifth Monarchy Aristocracy Forms Of Government Oligarchy Generic Constitutional Government Generic Name

Book:The Essential Aristotle

Source: The Essential Aristotle

“The mere fact of leaving ultimate social control in the hands of the people has not guaranteed that men will be able to conduct their lives as free men. Those societies where men know they are free are often democracies, but sometimes they have strong chiefs and kings.they have, however, one common characteristic: they are all alike in making certain freedoms common to all citizens, and inalienable.”

Source: An Anthropologist at Work

“The universe has no prince or king that it [Rome] would consider equal to its humblest citizen.”

Universe Democracy Kings Citizens Equal Rome Monarchy

Author:Pierre Corneille

“There is still another inconvenieney in conquests made by democracies; their government is ever odious to the conquered states. It is apparently monarchical, but in reality it is more oppressive than monarchy, as the experience of all ages and countries evinces.”

Made Stills Country States Reality Government Age Democracy Conquest Monarchy

Author:Baron de Montesquieu

“It is clear that in a monarchy, where he who commands the exceution of the laws generally thinks himself above them, there is lessneed of virtue than in a popular government, where the person entrusted with the execution of the laws is sensible of his being subject to their direction.”

Thinking Persons Government Law Virtue Democracy Clear Subjects Command Sensible Execution Monarchy

Author:Baron de Montesquieu

“All government is an evil, but, of the two form's of that evil, democracy or monarchy, the sounder is monarchy; the more able to do its will, democracy.”

Two Government Able Form Evil Democracy Monarchy Sounder

Book:Correspondence and Table-talk: With a Memoir

Source: Correspondence and Table-talk: With a Memoir

“Republics demanded virtue. Monarchies could rely on coercion and "dazzling splendor" to suppress self-interest or factions; republics relied on the goodness of the people to put aside private interest for public good. The imperatives of virtue attached all sorts of desiderata to the republican citizen: simplicity, frugality, sobriety, simple manners, Christian benevolence, duty to the polity. Republics called on other virtues--spiritedness, courage--to protect the polity from external threats. Tyrants kept standing armies; republics relied on free yeomen, defending their own land.”

“Thus, experience has ever shown, that education, as well as religion, aristocracy, as well as democracy and monarchy, are, singly, totally inadequate to the business of restraining the passions of men, of preserving a steady government, and protecting the lives, liberties, and properties of the people . . . . Religion, superstition, oaths, education, laws, all give way before passions, interest, and power, which can be resisted only by passions, interest, and power.”

People Men Way Giving Wells Government Law Passion Interest Liberty Democracy Human Nature Property Steady Superstitions Monarchy Oath Inadequate Aristocracy Restraining

Author:John Adams

“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. It is in vain to say that democracy is less vain, less proud, less selfish, less ambitious, or less avaricious than aristocracy or monarchy. It is not true, in fact, and nowhere appears in history. Those passions are the same in all men, under all forms of simple government, and when unchecked, produce the same effects of fraud, violence, and cruelty.”

“I do not say that democracy has been more pernicious on the whole, and in the long run, than monarchy or aristocracy. Democracy has never been and never can be so durable as aristocracy or monarchy; but while it lasts, it is more bloody than either.”

Long Has Beens Whole Running Lasts Democracy Long Runs Bloody Monarchy Aristocracy Democracies Have Pernicious

Book:The Political Writings of John Adams

Source: The Political Writings of John Adams

“I feel anxious for the fate of our monarchy, or democracy, or whatever is to take place. I soon get lost in a labyrinth of perplexities; but, whatever occurs, may justice and righteousness be the stability of our times, and order arise out of confusion. Great difficulties may be surmounted by patience and perseverance.”

Source: The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784

“Rwanda is a democracy not a monarchy.”

Democracy Monarchy Rwanda

Author:Paul Kagame

“This rationale, which justified the mixed constitution of Great Britain, might have made some sense in 1776, but by 1787 most American thinkers had come to believe that all parts of their balanced governments represented in one way or another the sovereign people. They had left the Aristotelian idea of mixed estates - monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy - way behind. [John] Adams had not, and his stubbornness on this point caused him no end of trouble.”

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Democracy Quotes