We are a democracy, and we get the leaders we deserve because we elect them.
The challenge as we saw in the Nigerian project was to restructure the economy decisively in the direction of a modern free market as an appropriate environment for cultivation of freedom and democracy and the natural emergence of a new social order.
The ship of democracy, which has weathered all storms, may sink through the mutiny of those on board.
I myself have felt the wrath of the media, but that’s part of what a good democracy is.
The media does play a vital role in our democracy, and if we cannot depend on journalistic ethics, the nation’s in trouble.
Democracy is not merely a form of government. It is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience. It is essentially an attitude of respect and reverence towards fellow men.
We have had a long wait for democracy.
But what we have is not democracy; it is demonocracy! We are ruled by demons.
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.
Until we can democratically control the wealth that is created from our labor, there isn’t real democracy.
I grew up in San Francisco. And so I’m informed in a certain kind of way about, you know, believing in democracy and believing in America. And I’m a very ardent patriot.
Mob rule is always extremely dangerous for the future of democracy.
The United States is unusual among the industrial democracies in the rigidity of the system of ideological control – ‘indoctrination’, we might say – exercised through the mass media.
It is the besetting vice of democracies to substitute public opinion for law. This is the usual form in which the masses of men exhibit their tyranny.
I have said democracy and freedom do not work too well if you are hungry, if you are starving.
The Internet has democratized content, and the gatekeepers are no longer in control. That democracy is wonderful for entrepreneurs.
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.
What is the basic principle of democracy? In the end, it is loyalty to the nation. We Central Europeans know from historical experience that sooner or later, we will lose our freedom if we do not represent the interests of our citizens.
On Jan. 30, millions of Iraqis will cast ballots in the country’s first fair and free election in decades, marking continued progress in Iraq’s transition toward a country built on the pillars of democracy and freedom for all.
All the ills of democracy can be cured by more democracy.
The first and continuing argument for the curtailment of working hours and the raising of the minimum age was that education was necessary in a democracy and working children could not attend school.
Sometimes I think that a parody of democracy could be more dangerous than a blatant dictatorship, because that gives people an opportunity to avoid doing anything about it.
Fundamentalists are not friends of democracy. And that includes your fundamentalists in the United States.
To win the cause we all believe in, the spread of true democracy all over the world, we need to win by example, not just with speeches but by example; not just with military might but by gaining the respect of the world.
I think we’re at risk with our democracy. I think we’re dealing with the most closed, imperialistic, nastiest administration in living memory. They even put Richard Nixon to shame.
Capitalism is against the things that we say we believe in – democracy, freedom of choice, fairness. It’s not about any of those things now. It’s about protecting the wealthy and legalizing greed.
Freedom and democracy are dreams you never give up.
To declare the Cold War over, and declare democracy has won out over totalitarianism, is a measure of arrogance and wrong-headedness.
When public men indulge themselves in abuse, when they deny others a fair trial, when they resort to innuendo and insinuation, to libel, scandal, and suspicion, then our democratic society is outraged, and democracy is baffled.
If I were a capitalist I would not give my employees health insurance with no deductible, which I do, including dental, and paid pregnancy leave. That’s not called capitalism, that’s called being a Christian and someone who believes in democracy, so that everyone should get a fair slice of the pie.
The primal principle of democracy is the worth and dignity of the individual.
Democracy consists of choosing your dictators, after they’ve told you what you think it is you want to hear.
There is no state with a democracy except Libya on the whole planet.
The bedrock of our democracy is the rule of law and that means we have to have an independent judiciary, judges who can make decisions independent of the political winds that are blowing.
Now the first step has to be taken, the step towards democracy. This step is full of risks, and requires trust on all sides. We don’t know where it will lead. But if we just stand still, we will have no chance of escaping the violence.
In a constitutional democracy the moral content of law must be given by the morality of the framer or legislator, never by the morality of the judge.
Public conversations about who we are and who we want to be are key to the vitality of our democracy, and leaders can seed those conversations when they speak out their own views.
The power should be in individual democracies in individual communities. It shouldn’t be an oligarchy or some small group of elite. Power should be with the people and not with some politician or some heir to the throne or some madman.
Please continue to voice your beliefs, as your participation is the foundation of our country’s democracy.
Democracy is an abuse of statistics.
In a parliamentary democracy, it is the job of parliament to decide the law, not the government.
If Republican leaders are willing to enable Trump’s autocratic enthusiasms in return for oligarchy, American democracy will die.
For me, democracy must deliver a better life for the people.
My position on democracy is really clear. Any attempt to overthrow the country is a betrayal to our unity and is treason.
Democracy is like three oxen pulling a plough. The oxen are the independent powers, but you have to walk in the same direction; otherwise, you cannot plough and that is what was happening in Colombia. One ox was walking in one direction, the other in another direction, so the democracy was not working.
Democracy is only a dream: it should be put in the same category as Arcadia, Santa Claus, and Heaven.
Democracy is the form of government that gives every man the right to be his own oppressor.
What we have is two important values in conflict: freedom of speech and our desire for healthy campaigns in a healthy democracy. You can’t have both.
To acquire immunity to eloquence is of the utmost importance to the citizens of a democracy.
Over the course of my life, I have made many transitions – most of them taking me further away from my Somali roots and steadily toward the enlightened mentality of Western democracy.
A lot of people say that India has been held back by its democracy. But let’s remember that, despite being a poor country, India’s democracy meant that its government never let millions of people starve.
Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.
Democracy in China is like Viagra; no such thing as free elections.
Elections remind us not only of the rights but the responsibilities of citizenship in a democracy.
In every democracy, it is the people’s will that is supreme. We should translate the intense yearning of the people of India and Pakistan for friendship into meaningful measures of cooperation in every walk of life.
Hatred is corrosive of a person’s wisdom and conscience; the mentality of enmity can poison a nation’s spirit, instigate brutal life and death struggles, destroy a society’s tolerance and humanity, and block a nation’s progress to freedom and democracy.
For us democracy is a question of human dignity. And human dignity is political freedom.
Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.
Nobody should be allowed to tinker with democracy. We will not discontinue the good works of the past government.
We cannot cut and run. If we are to ensure freedom and democracy, it is essential that we follow through on our obligation to bring about stability in Iraq.
There is just a small difference between the United States and Russia – Russia does not teach the whole world democracy.
A key part of our democracy is having a marketplace of ideas, open forums where people with diverse viewpoints can be heard and treated with respect.
