"The known propensity of a democracy is to licentiousness which the ambitious call, and the ignorant believe to be liberty"

This quote by Fisher Ames speaks to the risks of democracy. He suggests that democracy tends towards licentiousness, which is an absence of moral restraint. This licentiousness is viewed as liberty by those who are ambitious and ignorant. To put it simply, those who are ambitious might utilize this lack of ethical restraint to their own advantage, while those who are ignorant might not know the dangers of such an absence of moral restraint. This quote serves as a cautioning to be aware of the potential pitfalls of democracy, and to be conscious of the need for moral restraint in order to guarantee a healthy democracy.