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Democracy Quotes

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Democracy Quotes

“All such men are, or ought to be, agreed, that simple governments are despotisms; and of all despotisms, a democracy, though the least durable, is the most violent.”

Men Government Simple Democracy Ought Violent Despotism

Book:The influences of democracy on liberty, property, and the happiness of society, considered

Source: The influences of democracy on liberty, property, and the happiness of society, considered

“Violent resistance against the power of the state is the last resort of the minority in its effort to break loose from the oppression of the majority. ... The citizen must not be so narrowly circumscribed in his activities that, if he thinks differently from those in power, his only choice is either to perish or to destroy the machinery of state.”

Source: The free and prosperous commonwealth: an exposition of the ideas of classical liberalism

“Definition of victory which is really an important thing for the American people to understand is that we have an ally in the war on terror, that democracy is able to sustain itself and defend itself, and the Iraqi people feel that the security forces that we've trained up are capable of defending themselves against the violent.”

People Feels Important War Able Force Democracy Security Victory Capable Important Things Definitions Terror Violent Allies War On Terror Security Forces

Author:George W. Bush

“America is the most violent democracy in the world. It's something that's met with great shock, horror, and mystery when I travel to other countries. They ask, Why are there so many shootings in America? Why does everyone own a gun?”

World Doe Country America Asks United States Democracy Violence Mystery Mets Horror Gun Violent Shooting Shock Other Countries

Author:Patricia Cornwell

“The world is threatened by terrorism and violent extremism like never before. The rule of law is one of our chief defences against terrorism. Our shared values of freedom and democracy are shielded when like-minded nations work together to promote justice.”

World Together Law Values Nations Justice Democracy Terrorism Violent Chiefs Working Together Threatened Defence Extremism Rule Of Law Shared Values

Author:Peter MacKay

“I wish I could take back some of the things I said and some of the things I did. But in the bigger picture, I don't feel that it was violent and terrible. I feel like it was primarily--obviously not completely--moral, based on a vision that the government should be better, and that people could be better, and that democracy should be real.”

People Feels Should Said Real Government Wish Moral Vision Democracy Terrible Morality Bigger Violent Being Real Bigger Picture

Author:Bernardine Dohrn

“The people as a body cannot deliberate. Nevertheless, they will feel an irresistible impulse to act, and their resolutions will be dictated to them by their demagogues... and the violent men, who are the most forward to gratify those passions, will be their favorites. What is called the government of the people is in fact too often the arbitrary power of such men. Here, then, we have the faithful portrait of democracy.”

People Men Feels Facts Body Government Passion Democracy Violent Impulse Faithful Resolution Nevertheless Portraits Deliberate Arbitrary Irresistible Violent Man

Book:Works of Fisher Ames: With a Selection from His Speeches and Correspondence

Source: Works of Fisher Ames: With a Selection from His Speeches and Correspondence

“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

“True democracy or the swaraj of the masses can never come through untruthful and violent means.”

Mean Democracy Mass Violent True Democracy

Author:Lal Bahadur Shastri

“If I rule out violent anarchism, there remains pacifist, anti-nationalist, anti-capitalist, moral, and anti-democratic anarchism (i.e., that which is hostile to the falsified democracy of bourgeois states). There remains the anarchism which acts by means of persuasion, by the creation of small groups and networks, denouncing falsehood and oppression, aiming at a true overturning of authorities of all kinds as people at the bottom speak and organize themselves.”

“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

“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.”

“The kind of values for which I was supposed to kill, such as democracy and national independence, were better served, I thought, through non-violent action.”

Kind Action Values Democracy Independence Violent Non Violent

Author:Torbjorn Tannsjo

“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.”

People Different Political Used Games Social Party Democracy Plans Violent Traditional Used To Be Revolutionary Als Categories Egyptian Classification Non Violent Political Games

Author:Tariq Ramadan

“More than poverty, more than degree of education, religion, access to natural resources, even degree of democracy - violence against females is the biggest indicator of whether a country will be violent in itself or be willing to use military violence against another country.”

Country Use Natural Poverty Democracy Violence Military Willing Degrees Resources Female Access Violent Natural Resources Indicators

Author:Gloria Steinem