Democracy Quotes

"I think we need to just be very clear about what we're trying to do in Afghanistan. Frankly, we're not trying to create the perfect democracy. We're never going to create some ideal society. We are simply there for our own national security"

David Cameron, Politician

"What we say is that democracy means that you have the right to vote without intimidation and undue burdens. But if you stand in line for six hours, technically, today there is no document, no standard, no law that says that that's wrong"

DeForest Soaries, Politician

"You have to stand guard over the development and maintenance of Islamic democracy, Islamic social justice and the equality of manhood in your own native soil"

Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Politician

"When public access to voting is impaired or when public confidence in voting is diluted, democracy suffers and our freedom is less secure"

DeForest Soaries, Politician

"The Election Assistance Commission represents a major, unprecedented commitment from the federal government to sustained freedom and vibrant democracy. I am humbled by the prospect of being one its charter members"

DeForest Soaries, Politician

"Many of the contradictions in Postmodern art come from the fact that we're trying to be artists in a democratic society. This is because in a democracy, the ideal is compromise. In art, it isn't"

Brad Holland, Illustrator

"I have great confidence in Taiwan's democracy"

Chen Shui-bian, Statesman

"Even if I were knocked down by one gunshot it wouldn't affect our democracy and I wasn't knocked down and I have great confidence in our democracy and in Taiwan and in the people of Taiwan"

Chen Shui-bian, Statesman

"The true victory is the victory for democracy and pluralism"

Hosni Mubarak, Statesman

"In this film George presents issues that are important, essential and vital, whoever you are, about constitutional rights and the bedrock of a democracy. I am drawn to those kinds of stories because they inspire me - they are responsible to a populace and responsible to man"

David Strathairn, Actor

"In Iran the whole reform and democracy movement has been based on the emerging free press"

Christiane Amanpour, Journalist

"We have had a long wait for democracy"

Chen Shui-bian, Statesman

"The road to democracy may be winding and is like a river taking many curves, but eventually the river will reach the ocean"

Chen Shui-bian, Statesman

"However, I must say that I am very happy to see that we have such a positive result for our first referendum in our history and that gives me more confidence in Taiwan's democracy"

Chen Shui-bian, Statesman

"The grandeur and strength or our people and democracy are as big as a forest"

Chen Shui-bian, Statesman

"It has been well over half a century and I'm glad to say we have taken the right path from authoritarianism to democracy and this is a road of no return"

Chen Shui-bian, Statesman

"It is true you cannot eat freedom and you cannot power machinery with democracy. But then neither can political prisoners turn on the light in the cells of a dictatorship"

Corazon Aquino, President

"Voters must have faith in the electoral process for our democracy to succeed"

Blanche Lincoln, Politician

"A global democracy works only when countries trust one another"

Armstrong Williams, Journalist

"I don't have any formula for ousting a dictator or building democracy. All I can suggest is to forget about yourself and just think of your people. It's always the people who make things happen"

Corazon Aquino, President

"I believe in the greatness of our democracy"

Chen Shui-bian, Statesman

"A lot of young poets today, from what I've heard and experienced, can't get their heads past George W. Bush, and I've heard so many poems about this democracy and this era of politics that I'm kind of bored by it"

Amber Tamblyn, Actress

"For starters, this country embodies something utterly unique: History's first democratic empire. Beginning in the post war era, we have used free trade and democracy to create a series of interlocking relationships that end war"

Armstrong Williams, Journalist

"The view that we hold in Iraq now is this - that democracy is associated with elections. I believe that elections are possible"

Ahmed Chalabi, Statesman

"I take a grave view of the press. It is the weak slat under the bed of democracy"

A. J. Liebling, Journalist

"My own ideals for the university are those of a genuine democracy and serious scholarship. These two, indeed, seem to go together"

Woodrow Wilson

"The motive power of democracy is love"

Henri Bergson, Philosopher

"Nonetheless, we continue to be obsessed with finding or inventing a European nation which, as in the nation state, guarantees homogeneity and thus an appropriate form of democracy and centralized government"

Ulrich Beck, Sociologist

"The government, which was designed for the people, has got into the hands of the bosses and their employers, the special interests. An invisible empire has been set up above the forms of democracy"

Woodrow Wilson

"Democracy is not so much a form of government as a set of principles"

Woodrow Wilson

"I always assume that democracy is the only good form of government, quite frankly, and democracy is always to be preferred"

Jeane Kirkpatrick, Diplomat

"Democracy not only requires equality but also an unshakable conviction in the value of each person, who is then equal"

Jeane Kirkpatrick, Diplomat

"Now, al Qaeda's on the run. Afghanistan is no longer a base of operations. The Afghan government is a friendly government that is trying to bring democracy to its people"

Condoleezza Rice, Statesman

"The rule of law is essential for the functioning of a modern democracy, and we must work to strengthen it in Russia"

Dmitry Medvedev, President

"The essence of democracy is not in power, but in its limitations"

Dmitry Medvedev, President

"The greatest strength of democracy is its ability to adapt and evolve, to respond to changing circumstances and to meet the needs and aspirations of the people"

Abdullah Gul, President

"Democracy is not just about elections, but also about the protection of human rights, the rule of law, and the separation of powers"

Abdullah Gul, President

"I firmly believe that democracy and economic development go hand in hand. By empowering our citizens and creating opportunities for all, we can build a stronger, more resilient Ivory Coast"

Alassane Ouattara, President

"Democracy is not just about elections, it is about ensuring that all voices are heard and that everyone has a fair chance to participate in the process"

Alassane Ouattara, President

"Television is democracy at its ugliest"

Paddy Chayefsky, Playwright

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