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Quotes about democracy

108 quotes from 83 people

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There are two things which a democratic people will always find very difficult⁠—to begin a war and to end it.
Alexis de Tocqueville1805–1859Democracy in America, Volume II (1840), Book Three, Chapter XXII.
- War & Peace
The genius of democracies is seen not only in the great number of new words introduced but even more in the new ideas they express.
Alexis de Tocqueville1805–1859Democracy in America, Volume II (1840), Book One, Chapter XVI.
- Ideas
A democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it.
Alexis de Tocqueville1805–1859Democracy in America, Volume I (1835), Chapter XIII.
- Economics
Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.
Alexis de Tocqueville1805–185912 September 1848, “Discours prononcé à l’assemblée constituante le 12 Septembre 1848 sur la question du droit au travail”, Oeuvres complètes, vol. IX, p. 546
The health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens.
Alexis de Tocqueville1805–1859
What chiefly diverts the men of democracies from lofty ambition is not the scantiness of their fortunes, but the vehemence of the exertions they daily make to improve them.
Alexis de Tocqueville1805–1859Democracy in America, Volume II (1840), Book Three, Chapter XIX.
- Motivation & Goals
No government is perfect. One of the chief virtues of a democracy, however, is that its defects are always visible and under democratic processes can be pointed out and corrected.
Harry S. Truman1884–1972The Truman Doctrine (1947)
- Government
The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy.
Donald Trumpborn 1946Tweets on November 6 and 7, 2012, some of which were later deleted
- Voting
H’aint we got all the fools in town on our side? And ain’t that a big enough majority in any town?
Mark Twain1835–1910Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), Ch. 26In context
- Comedy
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
?UnattributedOften credited to Benjamin Franklin
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.
?UnattributedOften credited to Winston Churchill
Apparently, a democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates.
Gore Vidal1925–2012“Gods and Greens” (1989)
- Voting
Democratical States must always feel before they can see: it is this that makes their Governments slow, but the people will be right at last.
George Washington1732–1799Letter to the Marquis de Lafayette (25 July 1785)
- Government
The people’s government, made for the people, made by the people, and answerable to the people.
Daniel Webster1782–1852Second Reply to Hayne (1830)
- Government
Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half the time.
E. B. White1899–1985The New Yorker (3 July 1943); reprinted as “Democracy” in The Wild Flag (1946)