Best Democracy Quotes

"We are all better off with democracy, rationalism, secularism, science, and the Enlightenment."

"Democracy is hanging in the balance as Trump tries to run out the clock with baseless appeals and weapons of mass distraction."

"Liberal democracy is a miraculous thing but a fragile thing."

"The genius of American liberal democracy was to calm down those tribal sentiments...that was all possible when we didn't feel that the other side was an existential risk to the country."

"Democracy is based on the ability to debate things and find out who's right or whose ideas resonate the most."

"If you're living in a democratic society that protects individual rights, you have Kant to partially thank for that."

"The power of the people is always greater than the people in power."

"Our democracy has no room for inciting violence or endangering the public, no matter the ideology of those who commit such acts."

"The truth is, when you've got a political class that demonstrably is two cheeks of the same backside, millions feel locked out of the political democratic process."

"Systems thinking is all about seeing situations as democratic and egalitarian and as humanistically as we can because we recognize that anything other than that is not sustainable."

"Young people could literally turn out and destroy old people in the polls."

"Who gets to decide what's bad for people? A representative democracy that's elected by the people that they represent."

"I'm very much a democracy enjoyer. It's not a democracy anymore having an opinion is great, you just got to be ready for the repercussion of those opinions. I disagree with that."

"Constitutional rights are the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and without a clear incentive for the state to comply with them, our liberties stand on precarious ground."

"A democracy that's given us a choice between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is already a failed democracy."

"If there were a democratic choice, the majority being workers, you can bet would use productivity to produce leisure for themselves rather than profits for the minority."

"For the first time since the War of 1812, our nation's capital came under violent assault...by a sitting president of the United States."

"Those who had violently broken their oaths to the Constitution couldn't be trusted to hold power again because they could dismantle our constitutional democracy from within."

"It's a competition of ideas, a battle of ideas. Our idea, America's big idea of a democratic society and human freedom versus China's idea that a communist state is stronger than a democracy."

"The purpose of Section 3 is to protect our democracy not just for the next election cycle but for generations to come."

"We need a better job at educating people... about why liberalism is good, democracies are good, our country is good."

"If the constitutional republic and this beautiful experiment of America falls, there's nowhere else to go."

"We will save us by getting to the polls in November in numbers too big to rig and too real to steal."

"Support for Ukraine is essential if America is to be seen as the safeguard of democracy, economic prosperity, and a safe and secure Europe."

"I do believe Trump poses a direct threat to this democracy and we should be doing everything within our power to keep him from returning to office."

"Citizens United... we've created this separate but equal democracy for the very very rich."

"This is not your house, and the presidency is the people's... We have to be president for everybody."

"I'm a patriot first and a partisan second. We have to preserve the institutions of this democracy."

"We're going to continue to fight for lower costs, to grow the middle class, to defend democracy, for reproductive freedom, and for safer communities."

"Free speech is meaningless unless you allow people you don't like to say things you don't like."

"Biden legally won, and that's the important thing to understand."

"If we lose our country, it won't be because of corruption in the government; it'll be because of complacency in the electorate."

"I absolutely guarantee there's no question, there's overwhelming support from the American people, there is overwhelming support from the members of Congress or the House and Senate, and both parties notwithstanding some extreme elements of one party, we will stand together."

"I don't think there will be a democratic country in Eastern Europe that won't be in NATO."

"Race heats up, too close to call, get to the polls, you'll never know what's going to happen, need your vote, rock your vote."

"For democracy to thrive, it is not that you just have to oppose any intervention from the military; that Democratic setup also has to work for the people."

"This is an election year within the United States...this is the high time for the Pakistani Community to...create platforms that bring them together and make the American system realize that we matter."

"What has by far been a clear outcome is that the people in Pakistan want a government by the people and for the people, and they are not so thrilled about these continuous interventions."

"Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people. When you stop representing the many to represent the few, you are jeopardizing our democracy."

"What about the idea that we should think about democracy, think about the right of the people to elect candidates of their choice?"

"Derrida was...all about democracy...he's all about unconditional Hospitality."

"The beauty of a democracy, really the American Republic, is having the people as the power."

"We have to get back to being able to have differing opinions, agree to disagree, and fight it out in elections."

"They're realizing that this is going to be a free and fair election to a certain extent where it's going to be mono a mono."

"Democracy is what this country was built on. I served in the military so I can run as a Judicial candidate in a free country as long as I'm qualified."

"The basic premise is that a capitalist system combined with democracy and freedom, although it's not perfect, is the most effective system in the history of mankind for raising living standards, proven by history."

"America stood strong and democracy prevailed."

"Everything in a democracy depends on individual sense-making and meaningful choice."

"Freedom and democracy are under attack both at home and overseas."

"Our power, the American superpower, is our democracy, is the fact that we live in conflict all the time."

"If you're a democracy, you're kind of letting people audit your history, which I think is good."

"Do not abandon democracy; do not abandon Ukrainians to Putin's butchers."

"Democracy is a daily practice... it's required of us to engage with it."

"We're going to do everything we can to protect democracy. But here's what we can do with this democracy. Here are the things that we can achieve if we are able to protect this democracy."

"His democracy speech was incredibly powerful."

"Democracies are great because they decentralize power across a wide range of interests."

"Ultimately it will be up to the American voters to save our democracy in November."

"The greed that has forced people not to behave democratically... about lobbyists who are people paid to subvert the will of the people."

"The court should do everything to ensure that the will of the voters prevail."

"There is no credible evidence of any misconduct or wide-scale fraud."

"The certification of the results of the 2020 Wisconsin presidential election...is affirmed."

"It became totally clear that the Pakistani people had immensely more faith in democracy than, for instance, the State Department."

"In a real democracy, if Dakota gets 2 senators and California would get at least 40 senators."

"My lifetime has taught me to embrace the future...Freedom, democracy, a future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, fairness, equality."

"Seeking justice for the people of Georgia and the United States and being part of the effort to ensure that the rule of law and democracy are preserved has been the honor of a lifetime."

"This case is not just about accountability at The Ballot Box but when it comes to justice."

"We should be making it easier to vote, not harder."

"We're going to have to work like our democracy is on the line, because it damn well is."

"A society that votes and has the people agree on who should represent us and lead us is something that's a better system."

"We have to be warriors for truth and information, warriors for our democracy."

"This is democracy—300 million people in this country. We're the ones who are going to vote. There's no other people that are going to save us; it's just us."

"It's not just economics that we're going to talk about tonight. We're going to ask what it means to American democracy."

"I want to bring back a strong democracy. I want to bring back the truth."

"Fans decide who wins this. Well, that's why it's the People's Choice."

"Our job is to have a vision, rally the American people to reclaim our democracy, and to create a government that works for us, not just the 1% and wealthy campaign contributors."

"You deserve democracy. You have more in common with people across the political spectrum than with the establishment elite."

"The entire human experience...has actually been a story of despots, authoritarian dictators subjugating people. What made America so special is that the democracy...was the rarity."

"I still believe in the democratic process; I know I'm a [__] dinosaur."

"We have got to bring our government back to We the People."

"You need to pick a team. Are you on team autocrat or are you on team democracy?"

"It was an attack on democracy, but don't get it twisted: This was always an attack on the Black franchise and racial progress."

"In order to save democracy, we have to curtail the First Amendment."

"It's killing democracy in the name of saving democracy."

"Billionaire fortunes will destroy our democracy."

"Democracy is the only way for there to be peace."

"If the country's ever going to heal from this anti-democratic spasm, we need to explore accountability beyond just the legal kind."

"In today's environment, the conversation around free speech and content moderation is essential for the health of our democracy."

"Every person's voice can be heard at the ballot box and that's something that everybody should be able to get behind."

"Democracy in Pakistan... there is a consensus that democracy is the way forward."

"January 6, 2021, a day that will live in infamy in our country."

"We should reflect on the contrast here, the contrast between President Biden and a pro-democracy community."

"I am saying political correctness resist, fight if you have a point of view, fight it in the proper manner using democracy."

"The right to protest in a democracy has to be facilitated by the government; it's not a privilege, it's a right."

"The right to protest doesn't just exist as a let's give people the right to vent; it exists on the grounds that democracy includes giving people the right to organize and put pressure on accountable politicians."

"I'm not going to endorse anybody, but I'm going to tell you exactly what I'm seeing... democracy really on the brink."

"The guard rails of American democracy have held firm."

"I see a future where we defend democracy, not diminish it."

"Democracy is complicated and there are fundamental difficulties in making it work in practice that we've never been able to fully resolve."

"When you're designing a democratic system of government at some point you simply have to make trade-offs based on how much you value one principle over another."

"We're fighting for our democracy each and every day."

"We do not owe politicians loyalty. They owe it to us."

"The Pakistani people deserve to have their voices heard; they deserve democracy and strong institutions."

"A peaceful, democratic, and prosperous Pakistan is not just important to the Pakistanis; it's in the interest of the United States as well."

"Democracy is like the beautiful silver platter upon which rests the golden apple of freedom."

"In a region rife with instability, here lies a relative oasis of peace, democracy, and prosperity."

"The eyes of the world are on us now, my colleagues, wondering if we will keep the faith, wondering if our constitutional republic will hold."

"We must be able to trust that our elections accurately represent the will of the American voter."

"Our government belongs to the people... We gather today, Madam Speaker, to ensure the survival of our grand American experiment, the greatest democracy this world has ever known."

"January 6, 2021, will never be forgotten. An infamous day in American history... Mega Republicans descended upon the capital engaged in an insurrection."

"Discourse and dissent are important aspects of democracy, but harassment and threats are not."

"President Biden giving fundamentally critically important speeches about our democracy, about our alliances abroad, about infrastructure projects, about protecting and preserving Social Security."

"Their family can hold their head up high, knowing that they died for democracy and peace. What better way to go?"

"Super Earth wants to spread freedom, democracy, and peace throughout the galaxy."

"We have to have a big tent coalition... we all agree on democracy."

"In Lebanon, we look up to Canada... people value democracy."

"Sometimes democracy does not give you what you want."

"We are unapologetically pro-democracy and we demand justice and accountability."

"A country without free speech is not a democracy. Free speech is a prerequisite to democracy."

"Free speech is the main right that you have without it you have no others."

"Insurrectionists with a dagger at the throat of American democracy, posing the gravest threat to our democracy since the Civil War."

"Our duty, our task, is a very simple one: to honor the voice of the people, to honor our Constitution, to count the votes, certify this election, and begin to heal this great country of ours."

"The Fourth Estate... is the sine qua non for our liberties and protecting our procedures in a democracy."

"Those who object to the counting of the Electoral College votes, which reflect the votes of the American people, want to substitute their preferences for the voters' choice. That's not what our Constitution requires, and it's at odds with American democratic republic."

"We even here hold the power and bear the responsibility."

"This impeachment is a declaration to the world that when there is an attack on our democracy, we will respond to that threat and attack and we will do what's necessary to strengthen our democracy."

"The president of the United States incited an attack against our democracy."

"Congress will not be intimidated; America will not succumb to mob rule."

"It's all about how do we bring people together in support of our democracy, in support of our constitution, in support of logic and truth, empathy, and love."

"The public has a strong interest in the foundational principle of our government that the will of the people, as expressed in the Electoral College vote, determines who will serve as president."

"The key to democracy is that it empowers the majority but also, through the rule of law, constrains the majority."

"Honesty and decency matter. Our great democracy depends on it."

"We should make it as accessible and easy as possible for every single American to vote."

"It should be an obscenity that any American has to wait in line for hours to cast their ballot."

"If you are conservative or progressive, you benefit from internet openness. If you come from a small town or a big city, you benefit from internet openness. If you are a company or a non-profit, you benefit from internet openness. If you are a startup or an established business, you benefit from internet openness. If you are a consumer or a creator, you benefit from internet openness. And if you believe in democracy, you benefit from internet openness."

"The threats to our democracy are of an existential nature."

"Saving democracy itself here in America is part of the unfinished work."

"The Constitution places its trust in the people, on hard issue after hard issue, the people make this country work."

"We may be at an 1890 moment where if we don't get our act together and save this democracy, how many decades will we be in the darkness again, or will we ever get it back at all?"

"This is a defining moment of truth for us. We are about to either save and restore this democracy or lose it forever."

"Our aim should be to attain universal literacy at a very high level, to achieve not only greater economic prosperity but also greater social justice and more effective democracy."

"America is built on the premise of an educated electorate, people who are informed of the issues so they can vote based upon what's in their head, not necessarily what's in their heart."

"The solution to speech that you don't agree with, the solution to speech that you find repulsive, isn't suppression; it's more free speech."

"To effectively overcome all of these challenges... we need to establish solidarity with other democracies... to deter any authoritarian regime."

"Only with close cooperation with like-minded democracies... can we actually hope to defend the rules-based order, critical by the way for small countries like Switzerland."

"If democracy is a value that means something to you, it should have been instituted long ago where you work, because that's where you spend most of your time."

"What a wonderful, interesting idea. Democracy in the workplace."

"Speech is the fundamental prerequisite for democracy."

"If you believe in freedom of speech, you believe in freedom of speech precisely for views you despise."

"Journalism can be distinguished from other activities and products by certain identifiable characteristics and practices. These elements not only separate journalism from other forms of communication, they are what make it indispensable to democratic societies."

"Governments go through cycles. They go from democracy to oligopoly to dictatorships, and they collapse."

"In a market system, the consumer is king... the consumer goes into the market and with every dollar he votes on 'I want this; I don't want this.' That's how a market system works; it's a very free and democratic system in this sense."

"If you don't like what's happening, you can change it, and a small group of people can change it using the tools that democracy gives to everybody."

"Free speech platforms are essential for a healthy democracy, allowing for a multitude of voices to be heard."

"What democracy and conversation look like: people being able to express themselves, being able to confront leaders with difficult truths."

"Imagine if you also get to vote on minimum wage or legalizing marijuana nationally... I'm actually affecting the world around me."

"I want to have a direct say; I want all of us to have a direct say."

"Democratic citizens are impatient with too empty of public discourse; they want politics to be about big things and also about values, about moral questions about justice and inequality and what it means to be a citizen."

"The hope of our times rests with those who can summon the conviction and restraint to make sense of our condition and repair the civic life on which democracy depends."

"If Donald Trump is elected president of the United States, we do not know if there will be a verifiable next election that has integrity. He already tried to overturn the results of a presidential election by force, by inciting a riot. We need to be very realistic about the grave impacts of a Donald Trump election. It is not a joke, it is not a game. We need to protect our democracy." - AOC

"You can't keep electing billionaires and millionaires that don't have any understanding of what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck."

"I do believe that all things considered, free speech is a lesser evil than constrained speech."

"The initiative is citizens can propose a law, referendum is citizens can vote on a law, and recall is you can remove an elected official."

"The good common sense of the American people ultimately makes itself expressed."

"Our criminal system is also supposed to be going after true culprits who make our democracy less safe, who steal literally billions of dollars from the public and private."

"All of the problems we've seen throughout history, or at least a great many of them, have been exacerbated by the fact that the vast majority of the population has next to no say in what actually goes on in their lives."

"I believe we, the people, all of us, should have that right."

"Each of the leaders independently referred to this event as historic because it cemented a group of strong democracies that will work together going forward to secure a free and open Indo-Pacific."

"I believe in the checks and balances of American government."

"Democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed."

"It is the opposite of democracy if you don't have democracy at the workplace, you can't ever have it real in politics either."

"Rights exist to protect the minority against the majority."

"Anybody can learn physics with the right instruction. It's very democratic!"

"The government's job is to represent the will of the people."

"Nothing more important, nothing more sacred than personal freedom for our democracy."

"Securing Taiwan is not just important for the ever intensifying global clash between authoritarianism and democracy but also for very important political and economic reasons."

"Let the people decide, let the people choose their leaders."

"We need to have a caring and sharing state, a very developmental state, a democratic state."

"Extending democracy into the economic sphere...is really the method to do that in this system."

"What is the point in democracy and freedom if the two great modern examples of democracy and freedom, France and the United States, are burning down or spending all their money on war and killing?"

"Our greatest competitive advantage is our democracy gives us the ability to get better, to reform short of revolution, because the people have a say."

"The American people have a right to the truth."

"We need to open people's eyes to spin. And if we do, our communities, our democracy, and our society will win."

"Privacy is critical for the development of fully formed individuals, what Julie Cohen calls situated selves, who in their turn are the starting point for democracy."

"The most important office in a democracy is not president or prime minister or chancellor or governor or mayor, it's citizen."

"The fate of the world depends on us giving enough of a [__] about American democracy that we not only save it for our own country but we shore it up as the leading alternative to the ever-growing autocratic movements gathering steam around the world."

"The choice isn't between Democrats and Republicans; it's between democracy and autocracy."

"We don't have the luxury of seeing if time will tell or leaving the decisions up to our leaders. We have to insist on democracy, we have to stand against autocracy, and we have to do it now."

"Democracy is contagious, and we need the hope of it to spread everywhere. We must protect and support it every time it raises its head."

"It's not representative government in Congress if you don't know what you're voting on."

"The idea of constraints on executive power is absolutely fundamental to the American system, American way of thinking."

"Democracy as you know is under threat around the world."

"We're going for democracy. Our goal is to beat the Soviet Union without using any of our troops."

"The goal of any democratic, moral, and rational system must be to create a society where people are healthy, happy, and able to live long and productive lives."

"The only legitimate way for such governments to exist is for the people to consent to their existence."

"Free speech really is this fundamental principle of democracy and it's been decaying."

"By democratizing the workplace, you reinforce the democracy of the residential place."

"People's faith in democracy has been rattled to the foundations."

"If we help China become rich, that China would inevitably become more democratic... that theory has just proven to be wrong."

"The single most effective thing that can be done is for people to vote in such massive numbers where it takes the election outside the margin of manipulation."

"Your vote counts exactly the same as the crazy guy who's like 'I like his hair.'"