Quotes About Democracy

Make no mistake: We are being tested. Without a vibrant, fearless free press, our great American experiment may fail.

We now understand that the great American story is not confined to history books or political speeches. It is sung, and danced, and dramatized, and turned into verse. It is painted, and sculpted, and written, and filmed. Artists may not swear an oath to serve in government or the military, but they swear an oath to freedom of expression that is no less worthy of recognition, especially in a democracy such as ours.

Back in 1980, the science-fiction author Isaac Asimov wrote, "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.

To suppress the vote is to make a mockery of democracy. And those who do so are essentially acknowledging that their policies are unpopular. If you can't convince a majority of voters that your ideas are worthy, you try to limit the pool of voters. This reveals a certain irony: Many who are most vocal in championing a free, open, and dynamic economy are the same political factions that suppress these principles when it comes to the currency of ideas.

combinar la integración del mercado con la democracia requiere la creación de instituciones políticas supranacionales representativas y responsables. De lo contrario, el conflicto entre democracia y globalización se agudiza, ya que la integración económica restringe la articulación nacional de preferencias políticas sin una expansión compensatoria del espacio democrático a escala regional/global. Europa ya se encuentra en el lado equivocado de esta frontera.

El reto del crecimiento agrava el reto democrático. Uno de los fenómenos económicos más importantes de nuestra época es un proceso al que he denominado «desindustrialización prematura».10 En parte debido a la automatización en los procesos de fabricación y en parte a la globalización, los países pobres se están quedando sin oportunidades de industrialización mucho antes que sus homólogos de Asia Oriental.

Vietnam to defend democracy, and remembers me responding that the Saigon regime was no democracy.

Only we, the public, can force our representatives to reverse their abdication of the war powers that the Constitution gives exclusively to the Congress.

The form of coercion that the proletarian vanguard finds itself forced to exercise against counter-revolutionaries is of so fundamentally different a nature from the past forms of oppression, and it is compensated for by so advanced a degree of democracy for the formerly oppressed, that the word dictatorship clashes with that of proletariat.

The Revolution of our time will be made from the bottom up— or it will not be made at all.

The dissemination of advanced implantable technology will likely be just as ruthlessly democratic as the ailments it is destined to treat. Meaning that, someday soon, we may have a new class of very smart, very fast people - yesterday's disabled and elderly.

When the United States was founded, the very idea of a nation premised on democratic principles of freedom and tolerance was viewed by the vast majority of the world as an experiment doomed to fail. Dictatorships, monarchies, and theocracies had for many centuries ruled the world.

The press is the only profession protected in the Constitution because of how important the framers viewed the press. But in authoritarian regimes, they control the press.

Thru the auspices of the viewers who become - I think this is an import - in a democracy, become a working unit with law enforcement against the criminals.

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.

For too long, decisions have been taken behind closed doors - tablets of stone have simply been past down to people without bothering to involve people, listen to their views or give them information about what we are doing and why.

No one questions the right of individuals to go to the Central Lobby to explain their views to their own Member of Parliament. It is important for those in power to hear arguments in favour of policies from all sides and ought to lead to better decision-making.

Turkey is a diverse country... I think that democracy is the ideal system for a country with a social foundation such as this. My view is based on my belief that everyone should be able to comfortably live what they believe, and this is only possible in a truly democratic environment. I am insistent in my views and I strongly believe in what I say.

Until the courts put a stop to it, public debate over same-sex marriage displayed American democracy at its best. Individuals on both sides of the issue passionately, but respectfully, attempted to persuade their fellow citizens to accept their views.

Dialogue between people of differing views is critical for fostering understanding in a democracy.

In a democratic party, where internal democracy is alive, there are bound to be different views.

In Denmark, you have thirteen or more political parties, so it's not too difficult to find a party who reflect your views.

I'm an extreme libertarian, but I realize we're in a democracy, and in a democracy, people can have views of all stripes, and there's no reason to argue about it.

Can someone within that society walk into the town square and say what they want without fear of being punished for his or her views? If so, then that society is a free society. If not, it is a fear society.