"Ignorance is an evil weed, which dictators may cultivate among their dupes, but which no democracy can afford among its citizens"
- William Beveridge
About this Quote
This quote by William Beveridge is a cautioning about the dangers of ignorance in a democracy. He is saying that dictators can utilize ignorance to control and manage their citizens, however this is not something that a democracy can tolerate. Lack of knowledge can lead to a lack of understanding of the concerns dealing with a nation, and can cause citizens making uninformed decisions. In a democracy, citizens need to be informed and educated in order to make informed decisions and to guarantee that their voices are heard. Lack of knowledge can result in a lack of participation in the democratic process, and can result in an absence of trust in the federal government. For that reason, it is necessary that people in a democracy are educated and informed in order to make sure that democracy achieves success.
"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"