In this quote, Mikhail Gorbachev, a former Soviet statesman and Nobel Peace Prize winner, is emphasizing the importance of democracy being able to protect and defend itself. He is recommending that democracy is not a perfect system and it should be able to stand up to obstacles and risks in order to endure. Gorbachev is most likely speaking from his own experience with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of democracy in Eastern Europe. He is advising for a strong and resistant democracy that can withstand internal and external pressures, and eventually, continue to flourish and serve its people.
"Britain, which in the years immediately before this war was rapidly losing such democratic virtues as it possessed, is now being bombed and burned into democracy"
"We believe democracy to be the only real guarantor of stability and we have sought to create a 'Jordanian model' that might also inspire others in our region. I wish democracy and peace to be my legacy to my people and the shield of generations to come"
