Inspirational Quotes
Words to motivate, inspire, and guide you.
Democracy Quotes
DemocracyGrowthIntoleranceViolence Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit.
DemocracyParticipationRepresentationVoting The key is to vote because we need a vote to put the people in power that we want to represent us.
Civic EngagementDemocracyPoliticsPublic OpinionVoter Knowledge The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.
AccountabilityCivic EngagementCollective ActionDemocracyOwnership 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.
AuthorityCivic ResponsibilityDemocracyDictatorshipPower Dynamics The difference between a democracy and a dictatorship is that in a democracy you vote first and take orders later; in a dictatorship you don't have to waste your time voting.
Common GoodDemocracyIndividual DevelopmentLibertySocial Justice What are the American ideals? They are the development of the individual for his own and the common good; the development of the individual through liberty; and the attainment of the common good through democracy and social justice.
DemocracyInequalityPublic DiscourseVoice 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.
ConstitutionDemocracyJudicial ReviewLawMajority Rule Popularity makes no law invulnerable to invalidation. Americans accept judicial supervision of their democracy - judicial review of popular but possibly unconstitutional statutes - because they know that if the Constitution is truly to constitute the nation, it must trump some majority preferences.
DemocracyIdealismInspirationMotivationPower Of Ideas There is no force so democratic as the force of an ideal.
AttitudeBeliefChangeDemocracyValue The spirit of democracy is not a mechanical thing to be adjusted by abolition of forms. It requires change of heart.
Civic KnowledgeDemocracyGovernmentIntellectualismLiterature I consider anybody a twerp who hasn't read 'Democracy in America' by Alexis de Tocqueville. There can never be a better book than that one on the strengths and vulnerabilities inherent in our form of government.
ChangeDemocracyGood and EvilInnovationOpportunity Democracy is not static. It is a living force. Every new idea, every new invention offers opportunity for both good and evil.
CitizenshipDemocracyEducationGovernanceResponsibility Self-government can succeed only through an instructed electorate.
Abuse of PowerDemocracyMinority RightsOppression In a democracy, the majority of the citizens is capable of exercising the most cruel oppressions upon the minority.
DemocracyHappinessIndividualityProsperityWell-being In a democracy, the well-being, individuality and happiness of every citizen is important for the overall prosperity, peace and happiness of the nation.
AmericaDemocracyDivisionLovePolitics Let's not forget that the essential message of a Republican candidate is a tricky sell. That you love America, but hate all the groups that make up America. That you love democracy, but hate people.
ConsensusDecision MakingDemocracyEfficiencyGovernance When everyone agrees to a single solution and a single plan, there's nothing more efficient in the world than an efficient democracy.
CompromiseConvictionDemocracyFiscal PolicyLeadership 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.
Citizens UnitedDemocracyMoney in PoliticsPolitical InfluenceVoter Rights If there was one decision I would overrule, it would be 'Citizens United.' I think the notion that we have all the democracy that money can buy strays so far from what our democracy is supposed to be.
CitizenshipDemocracyFairnessGritKindness 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.
Critical ThinkingDemocracyDiscernment To acquire immunity to eloquence is of the utmost importance to the citizens of a democracy.
DemocracyEducationWisdom Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.
DemocracyPoliticiansPoliticsTransactionVoters Politics in a democracy is transactional: Politicians seek votes by promising to do things for voters, who seek promises in exchange for their votes.
DemocracyDictatorshipExtremismLibertyTyranny Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most extreme liberty.
AccountabilityDemocracyLeadership Democracy is the process by which people choose the man who'll get the blame.