I swear to the Lord, I still can’t see, why Democracy means, everybody but me.
—Langston Hughes (1902–67) American Poet, Fiction Writer, Dramatist
Democracy is a process by which the people are free to choose the man who will get the blame.
—Laurence J. Peter (1919–90) Canadian-born American Educator, Author
It is the American vice, the democratic disease which expresses its tyranny by reducing everything unique to the level of the herd.
—Henry Miller (1891–1980) American Novelist
Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.
—H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) American Journalist, Literary Critic
Let the people think they govern and they will be governed.
—William Penn (1644–1718) American Entrepreneur, Political leader, Philosopher
The progress of democracy seems irresistible, because it is the most uniform, the most ancient, and the most permanent tendency which is to be found in history.
—Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–59) French Historian, Political Scientist
It is the most beautiful truth in morals that we have no such thing as a distinct or divided interest from our race.—In their welfare is ours; and by choosing the broadest paths to effect their happiness, we choose the surest and shortest to our own.
—Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (1803–73) British Novelist, Poet, Politician
Democracy is not the law of the majority but protection of the minority.
—Albert Camus (1913–60) Algerian-born French Philosopher, Dramatist, Essayist, Novelist, Author
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.
—Winston Churchill (1874–1965) British Head of State, Political leader, Historian, Journalist, Author
America is the place where you cannot kill your government by killing the men who conduct it.
—Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) American Head of State
Lycurgus being asked why he, who in other respects appeared to be so zealous for the equal rights of men, did not make his government democratic rather than an oligarchy, replied, “Go you, and try a democracy in your own house.”
—Plutarch (c.46–c.120 CE) Greek Biographer, Philosopher
Nothing can be more abhorrent to democracy than to imprison a person or keep him in prison because he is unpopular. This is really the test of civilization.
—Winston Churchill (1874–1965) British Head of State, Political leader, Historian, Journalist, Author
I cannot too often repeat that Democracy is a word the real gist of which still sleeps, quite unawakened, notwithstanding the resonance and the many angry tempests out of which its syllables have come, from pen or tongue. It is a great word, whose history, I suppose, remains unwritten because that history has yet to be enacted.
—Walt Whitman (1819–92) American Poet, Essayist, Journalist, American, Poet, Essayist, Journalist
Democracy is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequal alike.
—Plato (428 BCE–347 BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Mathematician, Educator
The world must be made safe for democracy.
—Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924) American Head of State
Wipe out college-the Electoral College, that is. It’s not merely that the constitutional provisions for it are anachronistic, but its continued existence is downright dangerous to our democratic system. It’s not merely that Presidents can be and have been elected who have lost the popular vote, but its existence forces Presidential candidates to emphasize issues … not necessarily of national importance … From all I’ve read, studied and thought about the matter, I can’t find one good reason why the President and Vice President shouldn’t be elected by popular vote.
—Malcolm S. Forbes (1919–1990) American Publisher, Businessperson
In our democracy we must have a partnership of labor, of business and of government.
—Charles H. Percy (1919–2011) American Businessperson, Politician
There is a limit to the application of democratic methods. You can inquire of all the passengers as to what type of car they like to ride in, but it is impossible to question them as to whether to apply the brakes when the train is at full speed and accident threatens.
—Leon Trotsky (1879–1940) Russian Marxist Revolutionary
Democracy is never a thing done. Democracy is always something that a nation must be doing. What is necessary now is one thing and one thing only that democracy become again democracy in action, not democracy accomplished and piled up in goods and gold.
—Archibald MacLeish (1892–1982) American Poet, Dramatist
A man is judged by the company he keeps, and a company is judged by the men it keeps, and the people of Democratic nations are judged by the type and caliber of officers they elect.
—William J. H. Boetcker (1873–1962) American Presbyterian Minister
We cannot possibly reconcile the principle of democracy, which means co-operation, with the principle of governmental omniscience under which everyone waits for an order before doing anything. That way lies loss of freedom, and dictatorship.
—Lewis H. Brown (1894–1951) American Businessperson
These, then, will be some of the features of democracy… it will be, in all likelihood, an agreeable, lawless, parti-colored commonwealth, dealing with all alike on a footing of equality, whether they be really equal or not.
—Plato (428 BCE–347 BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Mathematician, Educator
Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be.
—Sydney J. Harris (1917–86) American Essayist, Drama Critic
It is a great blessing, says Pascal: “to be born a man of quality, since it brings a man as far forward at eighteen or twenty as another would be at fifty, which is a clear gain of thirty years.”—These thirty years are commonly wanting to the ambitious characters of democracies.—The principle of equality, which allows every man to arrive at everything, prevents all men from rapid advancement.
—Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–59) French Historian, Political Scientist
The tendency of democracies is, in all things, to mediocrity.
—James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851) American Novelist
The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) American Head of State, Lawyer
The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry.
—William F. Buckley, Jr. (1925–2008) American TV Personality, Author
The Silent majority is silent, and that is best for everybody.
—Gerhard Kocher (b.1939) Swiss Publicist, Aphorist
Democracy is also a form of religion. It is the worship of jackals by jackasses.
—H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) American Journalist, Literary Critic
The world is weary of statesmen whom democracy has degraded into politicians.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat