“It is truly difficult to make a democracy. Democracy, like arty dream, is not made with spiritual words but with reflection and practice. It is not what I say that says I am a democrat, that I am not racist or machista but what I do. What I say must not be contradicted by what I do. It is what I do that bespeaks my faithfulness or not to what I say.” MadeDreamSpiritualDifficultPracticeDemocracySocietyReflectionDemocratRacistFaithfulness Author:Paulo Freire
“I think art has a right — not an obligation — to be difficult if it wishes. And, since people generally go on from this to talk about elitism versus democracy, I would add that genuinely difficult art is truly democratic.” PeopleIfsThinkingArtWishDifficultDemocracyGoes OnArt IsAddDemocraticObligationVersusElitism Author:Geoffrey Hill
“Democracy is a difficult art of government, demanding of its citizens high ratios of courage and literacy, and at the moment we lack both the necessary habits of mind and a sphere of common reference.” MindArtMomentsGovernmentDifficultCommonDemocracyHabitCitizensSpheresLiteracyRatiosHabits Of Mind Book:Waiting for the Barbarians Source: Waiting for the Barbarians
“Democracy is premised, in some measure, on majority rule, and democracy is difficult in a situation of concentrated inequalities in which a large, impoverished majority confronts a small, wealthy oligarchy.” DifficultSituationDemocracyMajorityInequalityWealthyOligarchyMajority Rule Book:The Third Wave: Democratization in the Late 20th Century Source: The Third Wave: Democratization in the Late 20th Century
“There is always an element of realpolitik that has to be present in the conduct of any nation's national security affairs. At the same time, we have to also have a balance between realpolitik and Wilsonian principles of freedom and democracy and human rights. And maintaining that balance is the greatest challenge that we in the West, including the Federal Republic of Germany, have to face because it's many times a very difficult decision-making process.” HumansFacesNationsProcessDifficultChallengesDecisionPrinciplesDemocracyRightsSecurityBalanceElementsWestIncludingAffairHuman RightsGermanyDecision MakingRepublicNational SecurityMaintainingDifficult DecisionsDecision Making ProcessDemocracy And Human RightsRealpolitik Author:John McCain
“The Germans should be the first to sympathize with us [Egyptians]. They know how difficult it is to build a democracy following a dictatorship, and they were the first to be critical of Morsi's anti-democratic policies.” KnowsShouldFirstsDifficultKnow HowDemocracyPolicyDemocraticFollowingCriticalDictatorship Author:Mohamed ElBaradei
“It will be difficult, even painful, but democracy will prevail in Russia. There will be no dictatorship, although relapses into authoritarianism are possible.” DifficultDemocracyPainfulRussiaDictatorshipAuthoritarianismRelapse Author:Mikhail Gorbachev
“The political system of the People's Republic of China can make things easy. Decisions are made quickly and results come quickly, too. In our democracy [in India], on the other hand, such things are extremely difficult.” PeopleMadeHandsPoliticalEasyDifficultDecisionResultsDemocracyIndiaChinaRepublicPolitical Systems Author:Ratan Tata