"The continuation of authority has frequently proved the undoing of democratic governments. Repeated elections are essential to the system of popular governments, because there is nothing so dangerous as to suffer power to be vested for a long time in one citizen. The people become accustomed to obeying him, and he becomes accustomed to commanding, hence the origin of usurpation and tyranny"
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The rhetoric works because it frames democracy as a practice, not a permanent condition. “Repeated elections” aren’t depicted as a quaint ritual but as a pressure-release valve. Bolivar understands post-independence societies as especially vulnerable: institutions are new, loyalties are personal, and the temptation to trade pluralism for “a strong hand” is constant. In that environment, continuity can masquerade as stability while quietly dissolving accountability.
There’s also a hard-earned, almost fatalistic subtext: usurpation is not an aberration, it’s a predictable outcome when citizens and leaders fall into complementary habits. Command becomes a reflex; obedience becomes a comfort. Bolivar’s genius here is refusing to locate tyranny solely in the villainy of one man. He locates it in the slow co-production of authoritarianism, where time itself becomes the accomplice.
Quote Details
| Topic | Freedom |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Bolivar, Simon. (2026, January 15). The continuation of authority has frequently proved the undoing of democratic governments. Repeated elections are essential to the system of popular governments, because there is nothing so dangerous as to suffer power to be vested for a long time in one citizen. The people become accustomed to obeying him, and he becomes accustomed to commanding, hence the origin of usurpation and tyranny. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-continuation-of-authority-has-frequently-172767/
Chicago Style
Bolivar, Simon. "The continuation of authority has frequently proved the undoing of democratic governments. Repeated elections are essential to the system of popular governments, because there is nothing so dangerous as to suffer power to be vested for a long time in one citizen. The people become accustomed to obeying him, and he becomes accustomed to commanding, hence the origin of usurpation and tyranny." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-continuation-of-authority-has-frequently-172767/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"The continuation of authority has frequently proved the undoing of democratic governments. Repeated elections are essential to the system of popular governments, because there is nothing so dangerous as to suffer power to be vested for a long time in one citizen. The people become accustomed to obeying him, and he becomes accustomed to commanding, hence the origin of usurpation and tyranny." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/the-continuation-of-authority-has-frequently-172767/. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
