democracy quotes

For any young democracy, the most difficult but important step is burying the legacy of tyranny and establishing an economy and a government and institutions that abide by the rule of law. Every country faces challenges to the rule of law, including my own.

Adultery is the application of democracy to love.

In this possibly terminal phase of human existence, democracy and freedom are more than just ideals to be valued – they may be essential to survival.

Even if the politics needed doesn’t exist today, we still need to use our voices to make sure that the people in power are focused on the right things. Because this is a democracy, and in a democracy, people are the ones who run the country.

All the blood is drained out of democracy – it dies – when only half the population votes.

I am the son of a freedom fighter, and a son of a freedom fighter automatically imbibes the value of democracy.

The wisest use of American strength is to advance freedom.

I confess I enjoy democracy immensely. It is incomparably idiotic, and hence incomparably amusing.

In the 21st century, the countries that thrive will be the ones where citizens know their voices will be heard because the institutions are transparent.

Up until the First World War, when people turned anti-German, Germany had been described by American political scientists as the model of democracy.

Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.

Concentration of executive power, unless it’s very temporary and for specific circumstances, let’s say fighting world war two, it’s an assault on democracy.

All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.

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.

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

That fatal drollery called a representative government.

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.‘

Well the protester I think is a very powerful thing. It’s basically a mechanism of democracy that, along with capitalism, scientific innovation, those things have built the modern world. And it’s wonderful that the new tools have empowered that protestor so that state secrets, bad developments are not hidden anymore.

Leave no authority existing not responsible to the people.

Democracy is only a dream: it should be put in the same category as Arcadia, Santa Claus, and Heaven.

This young century will be liberty’s century.

Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good.

Democracy as a system has evolved into something that Thomas Jefferson didn’t anticipate.

We don’t believe in planners and deciders making the decisions on behalf of Americans.

To acquire immunity to eloquence is of the utmost importance to the citizens of a democracy.

You can never have a revolution in order to establish a democracy. You must have a democracy in order to have a revolution.

Democracy is also a form of worship. It is the worship of Jackals by Jackasses.

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.

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

You’ve got to vote, vote, vote, vote. That’s it; that’s the way we move forward. That’s how we make progress for ourselves and for our country.

Our brand of democracy is hard. But I can promise that a year from now, when I no longer hold this office, I’ll be right there with you as a citizen – inspired by those voices of fairness and vision, of grit and good humor and kindness that have helped America travel so far.

The world is weary of statesmen whom democracy has degraded into politicians.

Our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get attention. Most of all, democracy breaks down when the average person feels their voice doesn’t matter; that the system is rigged in favor of the rich or the powerful or some narrow interest.

The U.S. and its allies will do anything they can to prevent authentic democracy in the Arab world.

Our society is illuminated by the spiritual insights of the Hebrew prophets. America and Israel have a common love of human freedom, and they have a common faith in a democratic way of life.

I don’t see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its people. The issues are much too important for the Chilean voters to be left to decide for themselves.

All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin. And therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words ‚Ich bin ein Berliner!‘

Because of my parents‘ love of democracy, we came to America after being driven twice from our home in Czechoslovakia – first by Hitler and then by Stalin.

It is almost universally felt that when we call a country democratic we are praising it; consequently, the defenders of every kind of regime claim that it is a democracy, and fear that they might have to stop using the word if it were tied down to any one meaning.

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

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.

It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.

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.

I don’t think generally politician come from democratic country. I think not that thinking. But sometimes little bit short-sighted. They are mainly looking for their next vote.

Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage.

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.

Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods.

Everywhere that freedom stirs, let tyrants fear.

No party has a monopoly on wisdom. No democracy works without compromise. But when Governor Romney and his allies in Congress tell us we can somehow lower our deficit by spending trillions more on new tax breaks for the wealthy – well, you do the math. I refuse to go along with that. And as long as I’m President, I never will.

Without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure.

While democracy in the long run is the most stable form of government, in the short run, it is among the most fragile.

America is a Nation with a mission – and that mission comes from our most basic beliefs. We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire. Our aim is a democratic peace – a peace founded upon the dignity and rights of every man and woman.

Optimism comes less easily today, not because democracy is less vigorous, but because democracy’s enemies have refined their instruments of repression.

China has to go along with world trends. That’s democracy, liberty, individual freedom. China sooner or later has to go that way. It cannot go backward.

India is a democracy; it is in our DNA.

Africans require, want, the franchise on the basis of one man one vote. They want political independence.

Nothing can be more abhorrent to democracy than to imprison a person or keep him in prison because he is unpopular. This is really the test of civilization.

I always say the strength of democracy lies in criticism. If there is no criticism, that means there is no democracy. And if you want to grow, you must invite criticism. And I want to grow; I want to invite criticism.

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.

You can’t put democracy and freedom back into a box.