In a democracy, the majority of the citizens is capable of exercising the most cruel oppressions upon the minority.

Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.

The trouble with our people is as soon as they got out of slavery they didn’t want to give the white man nothing else. But the fact is, you got to give em something. Either your money, your land, your woman or your ass.

To the press alone, chequered as it is with abuses, the world is indebted for all the triumphs which have been gained by reason and humanity over error and oppression.

It is not my nature, when I see a people borne down by the weight of their shackles – the oppression of tyranny – to make their life more bitter by heaping upon them greater burdens; but rather would I do all in my power to raise the yoke than to add anything that would tend to crush them.

Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to that arrogant oligarchy who merely happen to be walking around.

The government, whether state or central, is elected. That means we have a responsibility to elect the right kind of leaders.

Democratic societies are unfit for the publication of such thunderous revelations as I am in the habit of making.

No one ever teaches well who wants to teach, or governs well who wants to govern.

Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the form of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question.

There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands.

Corruption is a cancer: a cancer that eats away at a citizen’s faith in democracy, diminishes the instinct for innovation and creativity; already-tight national budgets, crowding out important national investments. It wastes the talent of entire generations. It scares away investments and jobs.

Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.

Despotism can only exist in darkness, and there are too many lights now in the political firmament to permit it to remain anywhere, as it has heretofore done, almost everywhere.

Tyrants seldom want pretexts.

In a democracy, in a functioning democracy, what would be happening is that popular organizations, unions, political groupings, others would be developing their programs, putting them forth, insisting that their representatives implement those programs.

The people will save their government, if the government itself will allow them.

In order to fulfill the aspirations of masses, we have to sharpen the tool called the government machinery: we have to make it keen, more dynamic, and it is in this direction that we are working.

I would just like to say something, ladies and gentlemen. Something that I think is very important. It is that, you, we – we own this country. We – we own it. It is not you owning it, and not politicians owning it. Politicians are employees of ours.

There’s a lot of fuss on the Left about election irregularities, like, you know, the voting machines were tampered with, they didn’t count the votes right, and so on. That’s all accurate and of some importance, but of far more importance is the fact that elections just don’t take place, not in any meaningful sense of the term ‚election.‘

One of the peculiarities of Delhi is that the term ‚reform‘ is associated only with passing of laws in Parliament. In fact, the most important reforms are those needed, without new laws, at various level of the government, in work practices and procedures.

Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers.

We have the oldest written constitution still in force in the world, and it starts out with three words, ‚We, the people.‘

Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.

The key is to vote because we need a vote to put the people in power that we want to represent us.

Slavery takes hold of few, but many take hold of slavery.

Freedom of opinion can only exist when the government thinks itself secure.

Democracy… is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder; and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequals alike.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

In a republic this rule ought to be observed: that the majority should not have the predominant power.

How easy it is to govern when one follows a system of consulting the will of the people and one holds as the only norm all the actions which contribute to the well being of the people.

Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish – too much handling will spoil it.

Democracy is the process by which people choose the man who’ll get the blame.

In politics nothing is contemptible.

The worst government is often the most moral. One composed of cynics is often very tolerant and humane. But when fanatics are on top there is no limit to oppression.

Dictators free themselves, but they enslave the people.

The government is us; we are the government, you and I.

Anywhere in Latin America there is a potential threat of the pathology of caudillismo and it has to be guarded against.

Democracy is not static. It is a living force. Every new idea, every new invention offers opportunity for both good and evil.

My parents were of the generation who thought they were the children of a free Czechoslovakia, the only democracy in central Europe.

Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.

In a democracy the poor will have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme.

Governance should be designed as an equalizer. Democrats are more inclined towards working families and those who are struggling for a better life.

Regimes planted by bayonets do not take root.

In Republics, the great danger is, that the majority may not sufficiently respect the rights of the minority.

We’ve become, now, an oligarchy instead of a democracy. I think that’s been the worst damage to the basic moral and ethical standards to the American political system that I’ve ever seen in my life.

On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.

Elections should be held on April 16th- the day after we pay our income taxes. That is one of the few things that might discourage politicians from being big spenders.

Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest.

On account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation in the world that has to keep a government four years, no matter what it does.

Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.

I am involved in a freedom ride protesting the loss of the minority rights belonging to the few remaining earthbound stars. All we demanded was our right to twinkle.

The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.

Discrimination is a hellhound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them.

My Democratic friends just can’t accept the fact that the American people chose Donald Trump to be president – it’s called democracy. My advice to them, and I say this gently: Fill out a ‚Hurt Feelings Report‘ and let’s move on.

Real liberty is neither found in despotism or the extremes of democracy, but in moderate governments.

In a democracy, allegations will never improve situations. So, I’m against allegations, but I always welcome criticism.

Men and women may form associations for and among themselves and be governed by stipulations that are mutually acceptable.

He who is to be a good ruler must have first been ruled.

It is necessary for him who lays out a state and arranges laws for it to presuppose that all men are evil and that they are always going to act according to the wickedness of their spirits whenever they have free scope.

The human being is in the most literal sense a political animal, not merely a gregarious animal, but an animal which can individuate itself only in the midst of society.