Best democracy & problem Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings

“Democracy actually requires that the whole public be able to see common problems and address them and step outside of their own sort of narrow self-interest to do so.”

Self Whole Problem Able Interest Common Steps Democracy Addresses Self Interest

Author:Eli Pariser

“Democracy has not failed; the intelligence of the race has failed before the problems the race has raised”

Problem Race Democracy Raised Intelligence Democracies Have

Author:Robert M. Hutchins

“This living in a democracy is a problem, isn't it?”

Problem Democracy Miscellaneous

Book:My Day: The Best of Eleanor Roosevelt's Acclaimed Newspaper Columns, 1936-1962

Source: My Day: The Best of Eleanor Roosevelt's Acclaimed Newspaper Columns, 1936-1962

“In a political sense, there is one problem that currently underlies all of the others. That problem is making Government sufficiently responsive to the people. If we don't make government responsive to the people, we don't make it believable. And we must make government believable if we are to have a functioning democracy.”

People Ifs Problem Government Political Democracy Believable

Book:Selected speeches

Source: Selected speeches

“Democracy is good. I say this because other systems are worse. So we are forced to accept democracy. It has good points and also bad. But merely saying that democracy will solve all problems is utterly wrong. Problems are solved by intelligence and hard work.”

Hard Problem Accepting Democracy Hard Work Solve

Author:Jawaharlal Nehru

“Humor can help you to disagree without being disagreeable. The key in democracy is not necessarily that we agree, but that we participate....Despite all the heavy problems- domestic and international- there is humor. Humor transcends partisanship.”

Helping Problem Humor Democracy Keys Agree International Heavy Despite Disagree Disagreeable Partisanship

Author:Gerald R. Ford

“America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people, troubles will be coming from within and without. America cannot smile away their Negro problem nor Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There are cosmic laws.”

People Hard Problem America Law Democracy Trouble Hard Times Cosmic Hiroshima Hiroshima And Nagasaki

Author:Albert Einstein

“How do we get democracy at the international level? That's our problem. and it's essentially the same problem people faced in the 18th Century when they tried to get democracy nationally. Now we need it internationally.”

People Needs Problem Levels Democracy Century International 18th Century

Author:Susan George

“Here is the crisis of the times as I see it: We talk about problems, issues, policies, but we don't talk about what democracy means - what it bestows on us - the revolutionary idea that it isn't just about the means of governance but the means of dignifying people so they become fully free to claim their moral and political agency.”

People Mean Ideas Problem Political Moral Democracy Issues Policy Claims Crisis Revolutionary Agency Governance Democracies Have Revolutionary Ideas

Author:Bill Moyers

“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

“The most widely discussed formulation of [the One World model] was the "end of history" thesis advanced by Francis Fukuyama. "We may be witnessing," Fukuyama argued, "the end of history as such: that is, the end point of mankind's ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government." The future will be devoted not to great exhilarating struggles over ideas but rather to resolving mundane economic and technical problems. And, he concluded rather sadly, it will all be rather boring.”

“Children aren't born with the techniques of democratic problem solving, but they are born with one of its key components - the desire to speak out...and that's where the struggle for democracy begins.”

Children Problem Desire Speak Struggle Democracy Democratic Problem Solving

Author:Patrick Watson

“My argument has always been that this is not an anti-Bush film, it's a pro-democracy film. And if George W.Bush comes out on the wrong side of democracy, that's his problem.”

Ifs Problem Film Sides Democracy Argument

Author:John Sayles

“I don't find any difference between Islam and Islamic fundamentalists. I believe religion is the root, and from the root fundamentalism grows as a poisonous stem. If we remove fundamentalism and keep religion, then one day or another fundamentalism will grow again. I need to say that because some liberals always defend Islam and blame fundamentalists for creating problems. But Islam itself oppresses women. Islam itself doesn't permit democracy and it violates human rights.”

“In reality, at the end of World War II, America imposed democracy at the point of a bayonet on Japan and Germany, and it has proved a resounding success in both countries. The problem with liberals is that they never give bayonets a chance.”

World Giving War Ends Country Problem Reality America Chance Democracy War Of The Worlds Germany Japan World War Ii World War I Bayonets

Book:Letters to a Young Conservative

Source: Letters to a Young Conservative

“If Democracy should fail, it would be because we had been so lacking in self-discipline that our personal problems had taken all our substance and energies, leaving us nothing of value to contribute to the commonwealth.”

Ifs Should Self Problem Would Be Values Energy Democracy Taken Failing Discipline Leaving Substance Lacking Self Discipline Commonwealth Personal Problems

Author:Margery Wilson

“The problem with the West is that they start with political reform going towards democracy. If you want to go towards democracy, the first thing is to involve the people in decision making, not to make it.”

People Ifs Want Firsts Problem Political Decision Democracy West Reform Decision Making Political Reform

Author:Bashar al-Assad

“We should - we will - welcome people of faith into the political process... It is essential that believers enter the arena. Your involvement in politics helps determine how well our democracy works. We have finally learned that government programs cannot solve our problems. Government can hand out money, but government cannot put hope in our hearts or a sense of purpose in our lives.”

“If we fail to meet our problems here, no one else in the world will do so. If we fail, the heart goes out of progressives throughout the world.”

Ifs World Heart Problem Democracy Failing Progressivism

Author:Eleanor Roosevelt

“Now, here's a good question: should serious people focus on global political instability - terrorism, failing states, nuclear weapons - or should we focus on global climate instability - droughts, floods, extreme weather? Here's the correct answer: yes, both, because climate disruption will make every other national security problem worse.”

“To find ways of practicing democracy, not ways of orating about it, is our great problem.”

Way Problem Democracy Oratory

Author:Mary Barnett Gilson

“Jail is just another micro-society. It just happens that here, the problems are far more out in the open, we don't live with the facades of lies that democracy or capitalism creates for us.”

Problem Reality Happens Lying Politics Community Money Class Democracy Policy Wall Taxes Capitalism Trade Property Human Rights Ideology Jail Free Speech Consumerism Facade Partisanship

Author:Cecily McMillan

“The Pavlovian view of women voters - plug the words in, and they will respond - sends a chill down my spine because it sounds like an adaptation of something I have written about communication between the sexes: When a woman tells a man about a problem, she doesn't want him to fix it; she just wants him to listen and let her know he understands. But there's a difference between a private conversation and a presidential election, between what we want from our leaders.”

“Excessive partisanship is the problem. There has never been a democracy in the history of the world in a polity of any size where you didn't have political parties. Even sometimes over the objections of the people who started it.”

People World Sometimes Problem Political Party Democracy Size Political Parties World History Objections Partisanship

Author:Barney Frank

“Democracy is a problem and we don't want to get rid of it.”

Want Problem Democracy

Author:Frank Gehry

“Under theocracies and other authoritarian regimes, the rulers are the moral authorities. Under genuine democracy some basic values are entrenched in the legal system, which is expected to be under democratic vigilance, and others are left to the person or the group, which ideally debate moral problems in a rational, free and cooperative manner.”

Persons Problem Values Left Moral Democracy Groups Authority Democratic Expected Debate Genuine Rational Regimes Rulers Vigilance Cooperatives Legal System Theocracy Moral Authority

Author:Mario Bunge

“The problem with the West is that they start with political reform going towards democracy.”

Problem Political Democracy West Reform Political Reform

Author:Bashar al-Assad

“Some commentators have drawn such a stark and gloomy picture of the Weimar Republic's early difficulties that the Republic seems foredoomed to failure from the outset... The conditions in which Weimar democracy were born were certainly not such as to help it flourish; and as it unfolded, it was clearly saddled with a burden of problems, in a range of areas.”

Helping Problem Seems Born History Democracy Conditions Areas Difficulty Burden Range Republic Nazi Commentators Starks Gloomy Nazi Germany

Book:A History of Germany 1918-2014: The Divided Nation

Source: A History of Germany 1918-2014: The Divided Nation

“The problem of modern democracy is rooted in its neglect of unorganized people.”

People Problem Democracy Modern Neglect Rooted

Book:Who will tell the people: the betrayal of American democracy

Source: Who will tell the people: the betrayal of American democracy

“For democracy is a method of finding proximate solutions for insoluble problems.”

Problem Democracy Findings Solutions Method

Book:The Irony of American History

Source: The Irony of American History

“I define democracy as control by the people. Slaves are those who allow others to control their lives. Insofar as people succeed in solving their problems fairly and efficiently at a grassroots level, they retain control over their lives. Insofar as they delegate their problem solving to a higher authority, they lose control over their lives.”

People Problem Loses Levels Democracy Higher Succeed Authority Slave Problem Solving Delegates Grassroots

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

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

“If I were a German today, I would be proud, proud but also worried. I would be proud of the magnificent achievement of rebuilding my country, entrenching democracy and assuming the undoubtedly preponderant position in Europe. But a united Germany can't and won't subordinate its national interests in economic or in foreign policy to those of the Community indefinitely. Germany's new pre-eminence is a fact - and its power is a problem - as much for Germans as for the rest of Europe.”

Source: As I said to Denis--: the Margaret Thatcher book of quotations

“There is nothing beyond the reach of ordinary citizens doing the daily work of democracy, and no problem too great to tackle with the power of active citizenship.”

Problem Democracy Citizens Ordinary Active Citizenship No Problem Daily Work Ordinary Citizens Active Citizenship

Author:Joan Claybrook

“Fundamental problem in American democracy is that we are allowing congressmen and senators to be bought and sold like sneakers.”

Problem Democracy Fundamentals Allowing Senators Congressman Sneakers American Democracy

Author:Alex Gibney

“The problem with American democracy is the American corporation, which is a slave holder construct, pure and simple. It's totally invasive, and people are as tightly controlled within the walls of a corporation as they are in a totalitarian society.”

People Problem Simple Democracy Wall Pure Slave Corporations Controlled Constructs American Democracy

Author:Richard Grossman

“Indeed we do have an entitlement problem: some feel so entitled to power & wealth that they're willing to undermine our economy and our democracy.”

Feels Problem Wealth Economy Democracy Willing Entitled Entitlement

Author:Annabel Park

“Rulers like Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser started subsidizing bread as a way to buy loyalty, or at least obedience, and this system became so pervasive that the Tunisian scholar Larbi Sadiki described countries who used it as dimuqratiyyat al-khubz - "democracies of bread." But the problem with this system of offering bread in exchange for genuine democracy is that it can never last - sooner or later, the bread will run out, and people will start demanding bread and roses too.”

People Way Country Problem Running Lasts Used Democracy Rose Loyalty Genuine Bread Obedience Als Offering Scholar Rulers Sooner Or Later Egypt

Author:Annia Ciezadlo

“The many refugees are not a Greek or German problem. They are a European problem. We should therefore develop a common strategy. That's why I am launching a cross-border movement for more democracy.”

Should Problem Common Democracy Movement Crosses Strategy Borders Greek Refugee Launching

Author:Yanis Varoufakis

“The problem is that the things demanded by an empire, which is staying power, ruthlessness, the ability and the willingness to use its power around the world, it's something that democracies tend to be quite skeptical about.”

World Use Problem Ability Democracy Around The World Empires Staying Willingness Skeptical Ruthlessness Staying Power

Author:Mark Danner

“I think that the influence of people with power and money to distort democracy and have their interests served before the rest of the population is the biggest problem. That is caused by two things: campaign finance and the way that's structured, and by the Citizen's United supreme court decision. So those two things are keeping democracy from working right.”

People Thinking Way Two Problem Interest Decision United Democracy Influence Citizens Court Population Campaigns Supreme Finance Two Things Supreme Court Campaign Finance Court Decision

Author:Shepard Fairey

“Its [Dreams from My Father] also a reflection about how we might start a better conversation in our democracy about how to solve problems, because it feels as if our political system - it just seems there is so much cynicism and negativity in our politics.”

Ifs Feels Problem Dream Seems Might Political Father Democracy Conversation Reflection Solve Cynicism Negativity Political Systems Dreams From My Father

Author:Barack Obama

“How long has it taken the democratic process to develop in the United States? Since it was founded. So, do you think that as regards democracy everything is settled now in America? If this were so, there would be no Ferguson issue, right? There would be no other issues of similar kind, there would be no police abuse. Our goal is to see all these issues and respond to them timely and properly. The same applies to Russia. We also have a lot of problems.”

Ifs Thinking Kind Long States Problem Would Be America Process Goal United United States Democracy Issues Taken Abuse Police Regard Democratic Russia Timely Democratic Process Ferguson

Author:Vladimir Putin

“Today, with America being a beleaguered global power, in part because of its own mistakes, it is absolutely essential that the American democracy refocuses its concerns towards global issues and does not approach its own specific problems on the basis of, to some extend, self-induced fear.”

Doe Self Problem Today America Mistake Democracy Issues Essentials Approach Concern Bases American Democracy Global Issues

Author:Zbigniew Brzezinski

“In an election like this one [in 2016], not only are voters dissatisfied, but where the foundations of our economy, our democracy, our ecosystem, and international war and peace are really crumbling and are really at grave risk for failing in many ways, we need desperately to have an honest public conversation about both the track record of where we've been, what are the critical problems we are facing and what it will take to solve them.”

“[Indira Gandhi] looked tired that day, and all of a sudden I exclaimed, 'Deep down I don't envy you, and I shouldn't like to be in your place.' And she said, 'The problem is not in the problems I have, it's in the idiots around me. Democracy, you know...' I now wonder what she meant by that unfinished phrase.”

Knows Said Problem Wonder Democracy Tired Envy Idiot Phrases Deep Down Unfinished

Author:Oriana Fallaci

“I don't care if you're a liberal icon or a conservative icon. If you are not willing to be active in your democracy and do what is necessary to deal with our problems, I think you should be voted out.”

Ifs Thinking Should Problem Care Deals Democracy Willing Conservative Don't Care Active I Don't Care Icons

Author:Hillary Clinton

“South Africa has faced many problems in the past. You would understand those problems if you understood the history of the struggle to get rid of Apartheid and the struggle to establish democracy.”

Ifs Problem Past Struggle Democracy Understood South South Africa Apartheid

Author:Thabo Mbeki

“When the public loses faith in democracy's ability to solve the problems it has created for itself, the game's almost over. And I think we are this close to losing democracy to the mercenary class.”

Thinking Problem Games Loses Ability Class Democracy Losing Solve Mercenary Almost Over

Author:Bill Moyers

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Democracy Quotes