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
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
In a democracy the poor will have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme.
—Aristotle (384BCE–322BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scholar
It is a strange fact that freedom and equality, the two basic ideas of democracy, are to some extent contradictory. Logically considered, freedom and equality are mutually exclusive, just as society and the individual are mutually exclusive.
—Thomas Mann (1875–1955) German Novelist, Short Story Writer, Social Critic, Philanthropist, Essayist
The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy.
—H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) American Journalist, Literary Critic
When great changes occur in history, when great principles are involved, as a rule the majority are wrong.
—Eugene V. Debs (1855–1926) American Socialist, Union Leader
When people put their ballots in the boxes, they are, by that act, inoculated against the feeling that the government is not theirs. They then accept, in some measure, that its errors are their errors, its aberrations their aberrations, that any revolt will be against them. It’s a remarkably shrewd and rather conservative arrangement when one thinks of it.
—John Kenneth Galbraith (1908–2006) Canadian-Born American Economist
A perfect democracy is therefore the most shameless thing in the world.
—Edmund Burke (1729–97) British Philosopher, Statesman
In a democracy the majority of citizens is capable of exercising the most cruel oppressions upon the minority…and that oppression of the majority will extend to far great number, and will be carried on with much greater fury, than can almost ever be apprehended from the dominion of a single sceptre. Under a cruel prince they have the plaudits of the people to animate their generous constancy under their sufferings; but those who are subjected to wrong under multitudes are deprived of all external consolation: they seem deserted by mankind, overpowered by a conspiracy of their whole species.
—Edmund Burke (1729–97) British Philosopher, Statesman
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
In a democracy, the individual enjoys not only the ultimate power but carries the ultimate responsibility.
—Norman Cousins (1915–90) American Journalist, Author, Academic, Activist
The tendency of democracies is, in all things, to mediocrity.
—James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851) American Novelist
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
Authority has always attracted the lowest elements in the human race. All through history mankind has been bullied by scum. Those who lord it over their fellows and toss commands in every direction and would boss the grass in the meadow about which way to bend in the wind are the most depraved kind of prostitutes. They will submit to any indignity, perform any vile act, do anything to achieve power. The worst off-sloughings of the planet are the ingredients of sovereignty. Every government is a parliament of whores. The trouble is, in a democracy the whores are us.
—P. J. O’Rourke (1947–2022) American Journalist, Political Satirist
Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
Democracy is also a form of religion. It is the worship of jackals by jackasses.
—H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) American Journalist, Literary Critic
I understand democracy as something that gives the weak the same chance as the strong.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) Indian Hindu Political leader
I am a democrat only on principle, not by instinct—nobody is that. Doubtless some people say they are, but this world is grievously given to lying.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.
—John Quincy Adams (1767–1848) Sixth President of the USA
Democracy is eternal and human. It dignifies the human being; it respects humanity.
—Thomas Mann (1875–1955) German Novelist, Short Story Writer, Social Critic, Philanthropist, Essayist
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 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
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
The more I see of democracy the more I dislike it. It just brings everything down to the mere vulgar level of wages and prices, electric light and water closets, and nothing else.
—D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930) English Novelist, Playwright, Poet, Essayist, Literary Critic
The ballot is stronger than the bullet.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
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
You must drop all your democracy. You must not believe in “the people.” One class is no better than another. It must be a case of Wisdom, or Truth. Let the working classes be working classes. That is the truth. There must be an aristocracy of people who have wisdom, and there must be a Ruler: a Kaiser: no Presidents and democracies.
—D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930) English Novelist, Playwright, Poet, Essayist, Literary Critic
Democracy: In which you say what you like and do what you’re told.
—Dave Barry (b.1947) American Humorist, Columnist
No man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
It is the common failing of totalitarian regimes that they cannot really understand the nature of our democracy. They mistake dissent for disloyalty. They mistake restlessness for a rejection of policy. They mistake a few committees for a country. They misjudge individual speeches for public policy.
—Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–73) American Head of State, Political leader
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
Democracy is only a dream: it should be put in the same category as Arcadia, Santa Claus, and Heaven.
—H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) American Journalist, Literary Critic
A modern democracy is a tyranny whose borders are undefined; one discovers how far one can go only by traveling in a straight line until one is stopped.
—Norman Mailer (1923–2007) American Novelist Essayist
Everybody’s for democracy in principle. It’s only in practice that the thing gives rise to stiff objections.
—Meg Greenfield (1930–99) American Editor, Journalist, Socialite
But you have to understand, American democracy is not like the system you have. We’re not an ocean liner that sails across the ocean from point A to point B at 30 knots. That’s not American democracy. American democracy is kind of like a life raft that bobs around the ocean all the time. Your feet are always wet. Winds are always blowing. You’re cold. You’re wet. You’re uncomfortable—but you never sink.
—Colin Powell (1937–2021) American Military Leader
The world is weary of statesmen whom democracy has degraded into politicians.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time.
—E. B. White (1985–99) American Essayist, Humorist
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
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
Unless democracy is to commit suicide by consenting to its own destruction, it will have to find some formidable answer to those who come to it saying: “I demand from you in the name of your principles the rights which I shall deny to you later in the name of my principles.”
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974) American Journalist, Political Commentator, Writer
Democracy is a political method, that is to say, a certain type of institutional arrangement for arriving at political—legislative and administrative—decisions and hence incapable of being an end in itself.
—Joseph Schumpeter (1883–1950) Austrian-American Political Economist, Sociologist
The real danger of democracy is, that the classes which have the power under it will assume all the rights and reject all the duties-that is, that they will use the political power to plunder those-who-have.
—William Graham Sumner (1840–1910) American Polymath, Academic, Historian, Sociologist, Anthropologist
Apparently, a democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates.
—Gore Vidal (1925–48) American Novelist, Essayist, Journalist, Playwright
Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a Heaven for?
—Robert Browning (1812–89) English Poet
If there were a people consisting of gods, they would be governed democratically; so perfect a government is not suitable to men.
—Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–78) Swiss-born French Philosopher
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
This is one of the paradoxes of the democratic movement—that it loves a crowd and fears the individuals who compose it—that the religion of humanity should have no faith in human beings.
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974) American Journalist, Political Commentator, Writer
The real democratic American idea is, not that every man shall be on a level with every other man, but that every man shall have liberty to be what God made him, without hindrance.
—Henry Ward Beecher (1813–87) American Clergyman, Writer
The history of the gospel has been the history of the development and growth of Christian democratic ideas.
—Henry Ward Beecher (1813–87) American Clergyman, Writer
Nor is the people’s judgment always true: the most may err as grossly as the few.
—John Dryden (1631–1700) English Poet, Literary Critic, Playwright