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Democracy Quotes

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Democracy Quotes

“Worldwide, the twentieth century has seen the rise of extraordinary concentrations of economic and political power - evoking the people as the source of power while simultaneously privatizing its most meaningful exercise. Democracy always seems to be at least slightly elusive under such conditions.”

People Seems Political Democracy Economic Conditions Century Source Exercise Extraordinary Meaningful Concentration Twentieth Century Elusive Political Power Most Meaningful

Author:Thomas L. Dumm

“Just as I'm opposed to political fascism, I'm opposed to economic fascism. I think that until major institutions of society are under the popular control of participants and communities, it's pointless to talk about democracy.”

Thinking Political Community Democracy Economic Majors Institutions Fascism Pointless Participants

Book:Language and Politics

Source: Language and Politics

“The world has paid a heavy price for the lack of democracy in most of the Middle East. Operation Ajax [CIA code for the August 1953 coup] taught tyrants and aspiring tyrants there that the world's most powerful governments were willing to tolerate limitless oppression as long as oppressive regimes were friendly to the West and to Western oil companies. That helped tilt the political balance in a vast region away from freedom and toward dictatorship.”

“Democracy is the current industry standard political system, but unfortunately it is ill-suited for a libertarian state.”

States Political Democracy Industry Standards Ill Currents Libertarian Political Systems

Author:Patri Friedman

“Whether for good or evil, it is sadly inevitable that all political leadership requires the artifices of theatrical illusion. In the politics of a democracy, the shortest distance between two points is often a crooked line.”

Two Political Evil Lines Democracy Illusion Distance Inevitable Theatrical Crooked Artifice Political Leadership Crooked Lines

Author:Arthur Miller

“Democracy is buying a big house you can't afford with money you don't have to impress people you wish were dead. And, unlike communism, democracy does not mean having just one ineffective political party; it means having two ineffective political parties.”

People Mean Doe Two Bigs Political House Wish Party Democracy Communism Just One Buying Impress Political Parties Big Houses

Author:Johnny Carson

“Hence it is that such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. Theoretic politicians, who have patronized this species of government, have erroneously supposed that by reducing mankind to a perfect equality in their political rights, they would, at the same time, be perfectly equalized and assimilated in their possessions, their opinions, and their passions.”

Source: The Fœderalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favor of the New Constitution, as Agreed Upon by the Fœderal Convention, September 17, 1787. Reprinted from the Original Text. With an Historical Introduction and Notes

“If democracy is control by the people, as it is supposed to be, it is the right form of government. I believe in a complete democracy - individual, political, social, economic. If we really had that, which we don't now, it would be in harmony with divine purpose.”

Source: Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words

“During the 1960s, large groups of people who are normally passive and apathetic began to try to enter the political arena to press their demands.... The naive might call that democracy, but that's because they don't understand. The sophisticated understand that that's the crisis of democracy.”

People Trying Might Political Democracy Groups Demand Crisis Presses Passive Sophisticated Arena Naive 1960s Apathetic Large Groups

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Putting it in plain terms, the general public must be reduced to its traditional apathy and obedience, and driven from the arena of political debate and action, if democracy is to survive.”

Ifs Action Political Term Democracy Driven Debate Traditional Obedience Apathy Arena General Public Political Debates

Book:Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies

Source: Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies

“I swear to the Lord, I still can't see, why Democracy means, everybody but me.”

Mean Stills Political Politics Lord Democracy Racism Swear Racism In America Harlem Harlem Renaissance

Author:Langston Hughes

“The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.”

Doe Motivational Political Language Freedom Democracy Taken Heard Communication Listening Free Speech Life And Love

Author:Hubert H. Humphrey

“Political systems must love poverty-they produce so much of it. Poor people make easier targets for a demagogue. No Mao or even Jiang Zemin is likely to arise on the New York Stock Exchange floor. And politicians in democracies benefit from destitution, too. The US has had a broad range of poverty programs for 30 years. Those programs have failed. Millions of people are still poor. And those people vote for politicians who favor keeping the poverty programs in place. There's a conspiracy theory in there somewhere.”

Source: Eat the Rich: A Treatise on Economics

“If democracy is ever to be threatened, it will not be by revolutionary groups burning government offices and occupying the broadcasting and newspaper offices of the world. It will come from disenchantment, cynicism and despair caused by the realisation that the New World Order means we are all to be managed and not represented.”

“We need a growing middle class, not one that has been disappearing for 40 years. We need a vibrant one person-one vote democracy, not one which is dominated by billionaire campaign contributors. It's time for a political revolution. It's time to make our government work for all of us, and not just the 1%.”

“Republican democracy is overperfect and demands political virtues and talents far superior to our own.”

Political Virtue Democracy Talent Republican Demand Superiors

Author:Simon Bolivar

“Public control of the political process requires public financing. The restoration of our American Democracy depends upon public financing.”

Political Process Democracy Depends Restoration Financing American Democracy

Author:Dennis Kucinich

“I believe in market economics. But to paraphrase Churchill - who said this about democracy and political regimes - a market economy might be the worst economic regime available, apart from the alternatives. I believe that people react to incentives, that incentives matter, and that prices reflect the way things should be allocated. But I also believe that market economies sometimes have market failures, and when these occur, there's a role for prudential - not excessive - regulation of the financial system.”

“Either we figure out how to keep corporate cash out of the political system or we lose the democracy.”

Political Loses Democracy Figures Corporate Cash Political Systems

Author:Molly Ivins

“Up until the First World War, when people turned anti-German, Germany had been described by American political scientists as the model of democracy.”

People World Firsts War Political Democracy Models Scientist War Of The Worlds Germany First World War

Author:Noam Chomsky

“The essential nature of a democracy compels it to insist that individual power of all kinds, political, economic, or intellectual, shall not be perversely and irresponsibly exercised.”

Kind Political Individual Democracy Economic Essentials Intellectual All Kinds Individual Power

Book:The Promise of American Life

Source: The Promise of American Life

“The struggle for democracy has to be maintained on as many fronts as culture has aspects: political, economic, international, educational, scientific and artistic, religious.”

Political Culture Religious Struggle Democracy Economic Fronts Aspect International Educational Artistic Democracies Have

Book:The Later Works, 1925-1953: 1938-1939

Source: The Later Works, 1925-1953: 1938-1939

“As the histories of ancient and modern democracies illustrate, the pressure of political movement in times of war, civil commotion, or general anxiety pushes in the direction of authority, not away from it.”

War Political Democracy Modern Movement Authority Anxiety Pressure Ancient Political Movements

Author:Robert Heilbroner

“Democracy appears to me potentially a higher form of political organization than any kind of dictatorship. But if it turns out that in America, which could afford a decent living for everyone, the comfortable majority is willing to condone the misery and abuse of a minority for an indefinite period, the exploitation by the majority becomes as repugnant as exploitation by an oligarchy, and democracy loses half its supposed superiority.”

“It is not surprising that more and more people are coming to the conclusion that the ballot box is no longer an instrument that will secure political solutions... They can see that the parliamentary democracy we boast of is becoming a sham.”

People Political Democracy Becoming Solutions Instruments Boxes Conclusion Secure Surprising Boast Ballots Parliamentary Parliamentary Democracy

Author:Tony Benn

“Deliberation and debate is the way you stir the soul of our democracy.”

Way Soul Political Politics Democracy Debate Deliberation

Author:Jesse Jackson

“In politics, an organized minority is a political majority.”

Political Freedom Democracy Majority Organized Minorities Organize

Author:Jesse Jackson

“We need a very progressive and strong agenda to bring people into the political process because I worry very much about the future of the American democracy where so many people are giving up.”

People Needs Giving Political Strong Process Worry Democracy Giving Up Agendas Progressive American Democracy

Author:Bernie Sanders

“Photography can still be used to champion activism and change. I believe this, even while standing in the cool winds of postmodernism... Postmodernism looked radical, but it wasn't. As a movement it was profoundly liberal and became a victim of itself. Precisely at this historical moment, when multicultural democracy is the order of the day, photography can be used as a powerful weapon toward instituting political and cultural change. I for one will continue to work toward this end.”

“Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.”

Source: Jefferson: Political Writings

“Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.”

Source: Thomas Jefferson: A Chronology of His Thoughts

“That government is the strongest of which every man feels himself a part.”

Men Feels Government Political Democracy Every Man Strongest

Book:The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Correspondence, cont

Source: The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Correspondence, cont

“If one meets a powerful person--Adolf Hitler, Joe Stalin or Bill Gates--ask them five questions: "What power have you got? Where did you get it from? In whose interests do you exercise it? To whom are you accountable? And how can we get rid of you?”

Political Interest Power Democracy Five Policy Politician Exercise Accountability Interest Groups

Author:Tony Benn

“The International Criminal Court, like most international institutions, is a wonderful idea. A noble idea. All it needs to work is planetary government, worldwide democracy and the triumph of reason over tribal loyalties, political doctrines and individual ambition. In other words, it requires that we all live in the world described by the "Star Trek" television shows.”

“Ben Carson and I don`t have much in common politically. But the fact is when you have kids getting involved in the political process, doing their best to elect the candidates of their choice, that`s what the American democracy is about.”

Facts Kids Political Choices Process Common Democracy Involved Candidates American Democracy Ben Carson

Author:Bernie Sanders

“If the government is vulnerable to public opinion, then famines are a dreadfully bad thing to have. You cant win many elections after a famine, and you dont like being criticized by newspapers, opposition parties in parliament, and so on. Democracy gives the government an immediate political incentive to act.”

“I also did a great amount of writing while doing research. It gave me the opportunity to meet and talk to people other than family, but also to explore my own memory deeper by comparing it to the memories of others who were in my home town during, for example, the political transition from socialism to a nationalistic "democracy" or during the bombings.”

People Writing Home Political Opportunity Memories My Own Democracy Example Amount Research Towns Deeper Socialism Compare Transition Bombing Nationalistic Home Town

Author:Sasa Stanisic

“The question is, how do you stop the power elite from doing as much damage to you as possible? That comes through movements. It's not our job to take power. You could argue that the most powerful political figure in April of 1968 was Martin Luther King. And we know Johnson was terrified of him. We have to accept that all of the true correctives to American democracy came through these movements that never achieved formal political power and yet frightened the political establishment enough to respond.”

“My links with [Mahatma] Gandhi now are very political links because I do not believe there is any other politics available to us in the late twentieth century, a period of a totalitarianism linked with the market. There is really no other way you can do politics and create freedom for people without the kinds of instruments he revived. Civil disobedience is a way to create permanent democracy, perennial democracy, a direct democracy.”

“There is a reason why these people [from Wall Street] are putting huge amounts of money into our political system. And in my view, it is undermining American democracy and it is allowing Congress to represent wealthy campaign contributors and not the working families of this country.”

People Country Reason Political Views Democracy Streets Huge Wall Amount Congress Campaigns Reason Why Wealthy Allowing Political Systems Undermining Contributors American Democracy

Author:Bernie Sanders

“I like democracy. I like to be able to throw out my political leaders when they get things wrong, and we don't get to do that with Brussels.”

Able Political Leader Democracy Political Leaders Brussels

Author:David Cameron

“And for those of us who have, you know, looked in sort of the established order of the political fray over the course of the past several years, it looks like chaos. But to the people I think it looks like democracy. And I think that that's something that really is moving us to a new reality, where the parties are going to have to retrofit themselves and adapt to this new realignment.”

People Thinking Knows Years Looks Reality Past Moving Political Order Courses Party Democracy Chaos Fray

Author:Ben Domenech

“So much of democracy is built on antagonism. It institutionalizes a certain kind of antagonism. This is not to say that we shouldn't have any democracy, but the fact is that democracy has hardened political identities and made them more violent.”

Kind Made Facts Political Certain Democracy Identity Built Violent Democracies Have Hardened Antagonism

Author:Pankaj Mishra

“There was great political uncertainty in South Asia at the time of the Buddha. The older small tribal societies were cracking up and gave way to bigger states. There was much more trade and travel going on than before. To people in the cities the experience of living in a small place where you knew everyone and governed your affairs by consensual democracy had been lost.”

People Way States Political Lost Cities Democracy Bigger Trade South Affair Uncertainty Asia Great Political South Asia Small Places Cracking Up

Author:Pankaj Mishra

“In a wild and diverse democracy each of us should be trying to talk to lots and lots and lots of people outside of our own kind of comfort zone and community, and that injunction goes even further for political leaders. They should talk to everyone, they should listen to everyone, and at the end of the day they should have a mind of their own.”

People Should Trying Mind Kind Ends Political Community Leader Democracy Comfort Should Have The End Of The Day Zone Diverse Comfort Zone Political Leaders And At The End Of The Day

Author:Bill Ayers

“Things need to be properly named. Political confusion starts with terminology confusion. Islamism implies some sort of political and social plan for Muslim people. In that classification, we find different categories. Legalist ones, traditional ones and revolutionary ones. Some of them are revolutionary but are non-violent, others are extremely violent. There are also the ones we call the literalists, like the Egyptian party Hizb al-Nour that used to be against democracy and now is getting into the political game.”

“Most people that I know don believe that a handful of corporations request sit together without disclosure, by the way, and pump hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars into the political process. That is not the democracy that many of us believe America should be.”

People Knows Way Should Believe Together America Political Process Millions Democracy Dollars Corporations Handful Request Pumps Disclosure

Author:Bernie Sanders

“"Democracy" means nothing else other than, "rule of the people", in Greek. There is nothing democratic about the political concepts of the United States and Europe.”

People Mean States Political United United States Democracy Concepts Europe Democratic Greek

Author:Andre Vltchek

“The right tends to posit that the market fuels social good. The left tends to posit that the government fuels social good. At bottom, democracy claims that citizens drive social good, but there is currently no container for a political force-field that stakes claim to the unbelievable resources now virtually untapped in every man, woman, and child in our society.”

“I am afraid that I think both the near future environmental reality and political landscape are not looking good - and they are connected. The best tool we have for advancing environmental solutions is our democracy, and we can't currently access it because it has been so thoroughly hijacked by big corporate interests.”

Thinking Has Beens Bigs Reality Political Interest Democracy Solutions Tools Environmental Connected Access Landscape Corporate Looking Good Advancing

Author:Annie Leonard