Quotes About Democracy

Los mexicanos descubrimos poco a poco, sin embargo, que la nuestra era una democracia sin demócratas. Del fondo de las costumbres políticas de la nación, más que de las leyes vigentes, surgió un régimen de partidos que acabó siendo una red de complicidades y clientelas cuya especialidad fue encarecer las elecciones y llevar a ellas ríos de dinero ilegal

La República restaurada no fue el horizonte de paz y democracia imaginado por los liberales triunfantes, sino el terreno de una nueva discordia interna que se resolvió con la llegada al poder de Porfirio Díaz

Sólo hay un remedio democrático sólido contra la tentación populista: el desarrollo mismo, la modernización incluyente.

No hay fenómeno de más larga duración en la historia política de México que el intento de suplir con instituciones representativas, democráticas y republicanas el vacío dejado por el derrumbe del imperio español y la desaparición del rey como fuente legítima de autoridad.

Cumplido su sueño de instaurar la democracia, México descubre que se ha quedado sin un referente común.

La épica del nacionalismo revolucionario se diluye en un horizonte de crítica pública cuya tierra prometida es la democracia y cuya pieza de caza mayor es el dinosaurio priista.

La crisis de 1982 marca el inicio de lo que será la gran transformación política de fines del siglo XX. Esa transformación tiene el rostro de la democracia en el ámbito político y del neoliberalismo en el económico.

México parece listo para dar el paso, pero no lo está realmente. No está dispuesto, ni en el gobierno ni en la sociedad, a someterse a lo único que puede arbitrar una pluralidad democrática efectiva: el respeto colectivo a la ley.

Un día que no alcanzamos a ver nos despertaremos en un país genuinamente republicano y ejemplarmente democrático. No es el país donde estamos, sino a medias, según las sumas de bienes y males que cada quien quiera hacer para medir el país moderno a medias, eternamente inacabado, en que vivimos.

La ciudadanía mexicana tiene una memoria histórica vigorosa, pero llena de fantasías que ayudan poco a la construcción de una cultura democrática.

The happiest thing that can be said about democracy... is that it is one of the few systems that has been willing to risk a long period of confusion and mixed purposes for the sake of giving man a chance to grow up in mind and responsibility.

You mean, the people are armed?" Prince Bentrik was incredulous. "Great Satan, aren't yours?" Prince Trask was equally surprised. "Then your democracy's a farce, and the people are only free on sufferance. If their ballots aren't secured by arms, they're worthless.

that sounds like a real live issue to the people who don't think and have nothing to think with, which means a large majority of the voters.

they have a democracy, and they are letting the enemies of democracy shelter themselves behind democratic safeguards.

Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, are right

As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron

There can be no war to end wars, because all wars begin other wars. There can be no such thing as a war to save democracy, because all wars destroy democracy. There could have been a peace to save what was left of democracy, but the chance of that came and went in 1919—the saddest year in all the martyrdom of man.

democracy flourishes when we express our doubts over a policy, over the motives of our leaders. Compare this with those who flee troubling ambiguity by wrapping themselves and their vehicles in flags, drown honest debate with chauvinistic clamor, and encourage a pseudo-patriotism that ill serves its nation by silencing serious dialogue that might lead to more refined judgment.

What in water did Bloom, waterlover, drawer of water, watercarrier, returning to the range, admire? Its universality: its democratic equality and constancy to its nature in seeking its own level:

formidable obstacle to the establishment of industrial capitalist democracy

conception of democracy that includes the goals of human equality, even the limited form of equality of opportunity, and human freedom. … Labor-repressive agricultural systems, and plantation slavery in particular, are political obstacles to a particular kind of capitalism, at a specific historical stage: competitive democratic capitalism we must call it for lack of a more precise term.

The American constitutional system had been devised to prevent easy capture of the government by popular majorities.

The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, selfappointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.

It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.