Democracy Quotes - Page 83

The true democrat is he who with purely nonviolent means defends his liberty and, therefore, his country's and ultimately that of the whole of mankind.

The spirit of democracy cannot be superimposed from the outside. It must come from within.

My notion of democracy is that under it the weakest shall have the same opportunities as the strongest.

Democracy and violence can ill go together.

True democracy is not inconsistent with a few persons representing the spirit, the hope and the aspirations of those whom they claim to represent.

If fighting for the legislatures meant a sacrifice of truth and nonviolence, democracy would not be worth a moment's purchase.

Intolerance, discourtesy and harshness..... are taboo in all good society and are surely contrary to the spirit of democracy.

The only force at the disposal of democracy is that of public opinion.

To answer brutality with brutality is to admit one's moral and intellectual bankruptcy.

Democracy is a great institution and, therefore, it is liable to be greatly abused.

A born democrat is a born disciplinarian.

Our democracy flourishes when people stand up for themselves and engage in the political process.

I can't see democracy occurring by force - after an Iraqi war, because of the fallout from that.

I'm for democracy, but imposing democracy is an oxymoron. People have to choose democracy, and it has to come up from below.

If we fail now, then we will have forgotten in abundance what we learned in hardship: that democracy rests on faith; freedom asks more than it gives; and the judgment of God is harshest on those who are most favored.

Voting is the first duty of democracy.

I am a compromiser and maneuverer. I try to get something. That's the way our system works.

Totalitarian regimes produce a culture and a moral code that is totally different from what happens in a democracy. There are two moral categories in a communist society: honest men and bad men. The "honest" ones resist compromising or collaborating with the regime, while the "bad" are the persecutors and collaborators. You can choose to be on one side or the other, but there is nothing in between. In a normal society, other factors can define who you are. You can be a good worker, sociable, tough, generous, tolerant, collaborative, friendly.

We had to restructure our military and our politics and so on. We're a new democracy. We're a nascent democracy.

The Americans' position is clear: we promote democracy.

The form of government and the condition of society must always correspond. Social equality is therefore a postulate of pure democracy.

The true natural check on absolute democracy is the federal system, which limits the central government by the powers reserved, and the state governments by the powers they have ceded.

Monarchy hardens into despotism. Aristocracy contracts into oligarchy. Democracy expands into the supremacy of numbers.

We all need to provide the checks and balances for democracy.

The fight against terror is a common imperative for democracies and must become so for all nations.