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Democracy Quotes

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Democracy Quotes

“In democracy, as quaintly understood, voters pick their representatives. American democracy increasingly reverses that. Legislative districts are drawn to protect incumbents who, effectively, pick their voters.”

Democracy Protect Picks Understood Voters Representatives Reverse Incumbents American Democracy

Author:George Will

“Rights are not the language of democracy. Compromise is what democracy is about. Rights are the language of freedom, and are absolute because their role is to protect our liberty. By using the absolute power of freedom to accomplish reforms of democracy, we have undermined democracy and diminished our freedom.”

Language Liberty Roles Democracy Rights Protect Absolutes Accomplish Compromise Reform Absolute Power

Book:The Death of Common Sense: How Law Is Suffocating America

Source: The Death of Common Sense: How Law Is Suffocating America

“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

“Men and women have served and died to protect American democracy, but their sacrifice will be for naught if that democracy dies from the poison the Supreme Court has injected into our political organs.”

Ifs Men Political Dies Democracy Sacrifice Protect Men And Women Died Court Supreme Poison Organs Supreme Court American Democracy

Author:Jennifer Granholm

“Only by transforming our own economy to one of peace can we make possible economic democracy in the Third World or our own country. The present economy generates wars to protect its profits and its short-term interests, while squandering the future. Unless we transform the economy, we cannot end war.”

World War Ends Country Term Interest Economy Democracy Economic Protect Economics Thirds Profit Short Term Transforming Third World Squandering

Author:Starhawk

“The fabric of democracy is always fragile everywhere because it depends on the will of citizens to protect it, and when they become scared, when it becomes dangerous for them to defend it, it can go very quickly.”

Democracy Dangerous Depends Citizens Protect Scared Fragile Fabric

Author:Margaret Atwood

“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.”

“There is no society that protects freedom of religion more than secular democracies, because in societies where one religion rules, different viewpoints will be labelled as heresy and blasphemy. Why? Because the society is built on religion - not freedom for all points of view.”

Different Views Democracy Protect Built Point Of View Secular Heresy Viewpoints Blasphemy Freedom Of Religion

Author:Flemming Rose

“I think it could be argued that I am not heard, in the broadest sense. That is not my concern. My concern, a question really, is, do I have the courage to speak? If I speak I believe someone will respond. It then becomes my responsibility to listen to that person. And in listening, together we create a space where people can be heard. It's the conversation that I care most deeply about; this is the space I want to honor, respect, and protect. This is my faith in the open space of democracy.”

People Ifs Thinking Want Believe Persons Care Together Speak I Believe Space Responsibility Democracy Heard Listening Honor Protect Conversation Concern I Care Open Spaces

Author:Terry Tempest Williams

“The American flag is an enduring symbol of liberty, democracy, and justice. It is fitting that the House act to protect it as we approach our nation's birthday, and as our men and women in uniform rally behind it in Iraq's battlefields.”

Men House Nations Justice Behinds Liberty Democracy Protect Approach Men And Women Endure Iraq Symbols Birthday Flags Uniforms Fitting Battlefields American Flag

Author:Joey Barton

“I think it's something that the citizenry needs to be vigilant about - participating in democracy, and that includes issues like what's going on and how much secrecy and transparency there should be. That's an on-going thing - in a democracy you want checks and balances and oversight, but you need a covert agency to protect the country. It's a very tricky balance and I think it changes as the world changes and I think we all need to be mindful of that.”

Thinking World Want Needs Should Country Democracy Issues Balance Protect Checks Agency Secrecy Transparency Tricky Participating Vigilant Citizenry Oversight Covert

Author:Matt Damon

“In a normal democracy, you protect the individual from the excessive power of the state. In Turkey, power elites try to protect the state - as if this state were fragile and needed protection - when in fact, it's too powerful already.”

Ifs Trying States Facts Individual Powerful Democracy Needed Protect Normal Protection Fragile Elites Turkeys

Author:Elif Safak

“You cannot possibly expect even the most illiterate person on Earth to believe that you really want a democracy in Iraq while you are paying Mubarak $3 billion a year to pretend he doesn't hate Israel. And you're providing the military and diplomatic umbrella that protects the fascist government, if you will, of the al Sauds.”

Ifs Want Years Believe Persons Government Earth Hate Democracy Military Protect Iraq Israel Billions Als Providing Fascists Umbrella Diplomatic Illiterate Mubarak Illiterate Person

Author:Michael Scheuer

“The much-lauded parliamentary democracy in India has been unable to protect a genuine democratic set-up in Kashmir.”

Has Beens Democracy Protect India Democratic Genuine Parliamentary Kashmir Parliamentary Democracy

Author:Nyla Ali Khan

“In Europe, where the terrorist threat is probably greatest at the moment, the amount of information-sharing that's been taking place, the effectiveness of law enforcement across borders gives us the ability to protect ourselves while still being true to the basic precepts of our liberal democracies. I hope that that continues, and it is something that I think we should be worried about.”

“We still have a lot of work to do to protect our own democracy.”

Stills Democracy Protect

Author:John F. Kerry