I think the thread is more appropriate in Politics & Society.
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Topic: Democracy Quotes for the People, by Libertas Bella (Read 65 times)
Every Nation including leaders should be guided by the Law (good Law). If you make voting to be based on merit it would be safe to allow anyone to participate in governance, voting/election as long as they choose and are chosen based on merit.
Kings rule based on their good laws. I doubt they are allow to freely break the law.
So a leader or a king is free to rule and produce results as long as they aren't breaking the Law. Once the law is broken, those who real power belongs to (the people) are free to defend the law and their country against the law breakers. Those in the position of authority should be accountable to the people. And everyone is equal before the law.
Kings rule based on their good laws. I doubt they are allow to freely break the law.
So a leader or a king is free to rule and produce results as long as they aren't breaking the Law. Once the law is broken, those who real power belongs to (the people) are free to defend the law and their country against the law breakers. Those in the position of authority should be accountable to the people. And everyone is equal before the law.
A good system, until the people in charge determine that "good" applies only to their key supporters.
Every Nation including leaders should be guided by the Law (good Law). If you make voting to be based on merit it would be safe to allow anyone to participate in governance, voting/election as long as they choose and are chosen based on merit.
Kings rule based on their good laws. I doubt they are allow to freely break the law.
So a leader or a king is free to rule and produce results as long as they aren't breaking the Law. Once the law is broken, those who real power belongs to (the people) are free to defend the law and their country against the law breakers. Those in the position of authority should be accountable to the people. And everyone is equal before the law.
Kings rule based on their good laws. I doubt they are allow to freely break the law.
So a leader or a king is free to rule and produce results as long as they aren't breaking the Law. Once the law is broken, those who real power belongs to (the people) are free to defend the law and their country against the law breakers. Those in the position of authority should be accountable to the people. And everyone is equal before the law.
"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that."
– George Carlin
Before we dive into the democracy quotes, consider this very important stuff I’ve written.
Long has mankind grasped at the ideal form of government. The first was pelting unpopular tribesmen with rocks. (This form of governance is still implemented in certain parts of the world today.) We eventually realized that government could become far more efficient if we sharpened our rocks before throwing them, and then a bunch of ancient Greeks got bombed off a vat of wine and came up with democracy. The morning after they wished they had invented aspirin and blue Powerade instead.
Democracy: “rule by the people.” Under this form of government citizens decide on important legislation, or choose from a class of other people called “politicians” to decide on important legislation on their behalf. In the latter case politicians will carefully consider how their constituents would like them to vote, and then vote however the corporations and special interest groups which financed their election campaigns would prefer.
Is democracy perfect? A democratic government is ultimately as good as the people who participate in it, so, in a word, no. You’re obviously very smart, but imagine just how staggeringly stupid most other people seem to be. And their votes all count just as much as yours – unless you live in California, in which case your vote is worth about one-third as much as a Wyomingite’s.
Is democracy the best form of government? Maybe. Your own opinion of it largely hinges on which McPoliticalParty™ you prefer, and how well it did in the previous Free & Fair Election™. Ultimately, the only ideal form of government is dictatorship, and in that case it’s only ideal for the dictator. But because too few of us are charismatic enough to ever become dictators, democracy will just have to do for now.
Best Democracy Quotes
"‘Democratic’ in its original meaning [refers to] unlimited majority rule ... a social system in which one’s work, one’s property, one’s mind, and one’s life are at the mercy of any gang that may muster the vote of a majority at any moment for any purpose."
– Ayn Rand
"The American system is not a democracy. It is a constitutional republic. A democracy, if you attach meaning to terms, is a system of unlimited majority rule; the classic example is ancient Athens. And the symbol of it is the fate of Socrates, who was put to death legally, because the majority didn’t like what he was saying, although he had initiated no force and had violated no one’s rights.
"Democracy, in short, is a form of collectivism, which denies individual rights: the majority can do whatever it wants with no restrictions. In principle, the democratic government is all-powerful. Democracy is a totalitarian manifestation; it is not a form of freedom...
"The American system is a constitutionally limited republic, restricted to the protection of individual rights. In such a system, majority rule is applicable only to lesser details, such as the selection of certain personnel. But the majority has no say over the basic principles governing the government. It has no power to ask for or gain the infringement of individual rights."
– Ayn Rand, Textbook of Americanism
"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."
– Winston Churchill
"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."
– Winston Churchill
"Democracy, will soon degenerate into an anarchy, such an anarchy that every man will do what is right in his own eyes, and no man's life or property or reputation or liberty will be secure and every one of these will soon mold itself into a system of subordination of all the moral virtues, and intellectual abilities, all the powers of wealth, beauty, wit, and science, to the wanton pleasures, the capricious will, and the execrable cruelty of one or a very few."
– John Adams
"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide.
– John Adams
"It is one of the evils of democratical governments, that the people, not always seeing and frequently misled, must often feel before they can act right; but then evil of this nature seldom fail to work their own cure."
– George Washington
"Where a majority are united by a common sentiment, and have an opportunity, the rights of the minor party become insecure."
– James Madison
"Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths."
– James Madison
"Real liberty is neither found in despotism or the extremes of democracy, but in moderate governments."
– Alexander Hamilton
"Too many ... love pure democracy dearly. They seem not to consider that pure democracy, like pure rum, easily produces intoxication, and with it a thousand mad pranks and fooleries."
– John Jay
"A democracy is a volcano which conceals the fiery materials of its own destruction. These will produce an eruption and carry desolation in their way."
– Fisher Ames
"The evils we experience flow from the excess of democracy. The people do not want virtue, but are the dupes of pretended patriots."
– Elbridge Gerry
"Only a government that is rich and safe can afford to be a democracy, for democracy is the most expensive and nefarious kind of government ever heard of on earth."
– Mark Twain
"Strip the human race, absolutely naked, and it would be a real democracy. But the introduction of even a rag of tiger skin, or a cowtail, could make a badge of distinction and be the beginning of a monarchy."
– Mark Twain
"People are always teaching us democracy but the people who teach us democracy don't want to learn it themselves."
– Vladimir Putin
"Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force."
– Vladimir Putin
"Democracy is talking itself to death. The people do not know what they want; they do not know what is the best for them. There is too much foolishness, too much lost motion. I have stopped the talk and the nonsense. I am a man of action. Democracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is a fallacy. You in America will see that some day."
– Benito Mussolini
"Democracy is a poor system of government at best; the only thing that can honestly be said in its favor is that it is about eight times as good as any other method the human race has ever tried. Democracy's worst faults is that its leaders are likely to reflect the faults and virtues of their constituents - a depressingly low level, but what else can you expect?"
– Robert Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
– H.L. Mencken
"Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage."
– H.L. Mencken
"The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment."
– Robert M. Hutchins
"All the blood is drained out of democracy — it dies — when only half the population votes."
– Hunter S. Thompson
"There is no state with a democracy except Libya on the whole planet."
– Mu'ammar Al-Qadhdhāfī
"Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner."
– James Bovard
"You want to know about voting? I’m here to tell you about voting. Imagine you’re locked in a huge underground nightclub filled with sinners, whores, freaks and unnameable things that rape pit bulls for fun. And you ain’t allowed out until you all vote on what you’re going to do tonight. You like to put your feet up and watch ‘Republican Party Reservation.’ They like to have sex with normal people using knives, guns, and brand new sexual organs that you did not know existed. So you vote for television and everyone else, as far as your eye can see, votes to fuck you with switchblades. That’s voting. You’re welcome."
– Spider Jerusalem, Transmetropolitan
Democracy Quotes for the People, by Libertas Bella originally appeared in Thought Grenades, the blog on LibertasBella.com.
– George Carlin
Before we dive into the democracy quotes, consider this very important stuff I’ve written.
Long has mankind grasped at the ideal form of government. The first was pelting unpopular tribesmen with rocks. (This form of governance is still implemented in certain parts of the world today.) We eventually realized that government could become far more efficient if we sharpened our rocks before throwing them, and then a bunch of ancient Greeks got bombed off a vat of wine and came up with democracy. The morning after they wished they had invented aspirin and blue Powerade instead.
Democracy: “rule by the people.” Under this form of government citizens decide on important legislation, or choose from a class of other people called “politicians” to decide on important legislation on their behalf. In the latter case politicians will carefully consider how their constituents would like them to vote, and then vote however the corporations and special interest groups which financed their election campaigns would prefer.
Is democracy perfect? A democratic government is ultimately as good as the people who participate in it, so, in a word, no. You’re obviously very smart, but imagine just how staggeringly stupid most other people seem to be. And their votes all count just as much as yours – unless you live in California, in which case your vote is worth about one-third as much as a Wyomingite’s.
Is democracy the best form of government? Maybe. Your own opinion of it largely hinges on which McPoliticalParty™ you prefer, and how well it did in the previous Free & Fair Election™. Ultimately, the only ideal form of government is dictatorship, and in that case it’s only ideal for the dictator. But because too few of us are charismatic enough to ever become dictators, democracy will just have to do for now.
Best Democracy Quotes
"‘Democratic’ in its original meaning [refers to] unlimited majority rule ... a social system in which one’s work, one’s property, one’s mind, and one’s life are at the mercy of any gang that may muster the vote of a majority at any moment for any purpose."
– Ayn Rand
"The American system is not a democracy. It is a constitutional republic. A democracy, if you attach meaning to terms, is a system of unlimited majority rule; the classic example is ancient Athens. And the symbol of it is the fate of Socrates, who was put to death legally, because the majority didn’t like what he was saying, although he had initiated no force and had violated no one’s rights.
"Democracy, in short, is a form of collectivism, which denies individual rights: the majority can do whatever it wants with no restrictions. In principle, the democratic government is all-powerful. Democracy is a totalitarian manifestation; it is not a form of freedom...
"The American system is a constitutionally limited republic, restricted to the protection of individual rights. In such a system, majority rule is applicable only to lesser details, such as the selection of certain personnel. But the majority has no say over the basic principles governing the government. It has no power to ask for or gain the infringement of individual rights."
– Ayn Rand, Textbook of Americanism
"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."
– Winston Churchill
"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."
– Winston Churchill
"Democracy, will soon degenerate into an anarchy, such an anarchy that every man will do what is right in his own eyes, and no man's life or property or reputation or liberty will be secure and every one of these will soon mold itself into a system of subordination of all the moral virtues, and intellectual abilities, all the powers of wealth, beauty, wit, and science, to the wanton pleasures, the capricious will, and the execrable cruelty of one or a very few."
– John Adams
"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide.
– John Adams
"It is one of the evils of democratical governments, that the people, not always seeing and frequently misled, must often feel before they can act right; but then evil of this nature seldom fail to work their own cure."
– George Washington
"Where a majority are united by a common sentiment, and have an opportunity, the rights of the minor party become insecure."
– James Madison
"Democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths."
– James Madison
"Real liberty is neither found in despotism or the extremes of democracy, but in moderate governments."
– Alexander Hamilton
"Too many ... love pure democracy dearly. They seem not to consider that pure democracy, like pure rum, easily produces intoxication, and with it a thousand mad pranks and fooleries."
– John Jay
"A democracy is a volcano which conceals the fiery materials of its own destruction. These will produce an eruption and carry desolation in their way."
– Fisher Ames
"The evils we experience flow from the excess of democracy. The people do not want virtue, but are the dupes of pretended patriots."
– Elbridge Gerry
"Only a government that is rich and safe can afford to be a democracy, for democracy is the most expensive and nefarious kind of government ever heard of on earth."
– Mark Twain
"Strip the human race, absolutely naked, and it would be a real democracy. But the introduction of even a rag of tiger skin, or a cowtail, could make a badge of distinction and be the beginning of a monarchy."
– Mark Twain
"People are always teaching us democracy but the people who teach us democracy don't want to learn it themselves."
– Vladimir Putin
"Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force."
– Vladimir Putin
"Democracy is talking itself to death. The people do not know what they want; they do not know what is the best for them. There is too much foolishness, too much lost motion. I have stopped the talk and the nonsense. I am a man of action. Democracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is a fallacy. You in America will see that some day."
– Benito Mussolini
"Democracy is a poor system of government at best; the only thing that can honestly be said in its favor is that it is about eight times as good as any other method the human race has ever tried. Democracy's worst faults is that its leaders are likely to reflect the faults and virtues of their constituents - a depressingly low level, but what else can you expect?"
– Robert Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
– H.L. Mencken
"Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage."
– H.L. Mencken
"The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment."
– Robert M. Hutchins
"All the blood is drained out of democracy — it dies — when only half the population votes."
– Hunter S. Thompson
"There is no state with a democracy except Libya on the whole planet."
– Mu'ammar Al-Qadhdhāfī
"Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner."
– James Bovard
"You want to know about voting? I’m here to tell you about voting. Imagine you’re locked in a huge underground nightclub filled with sinners, whores, freaks and unnameable things that rape pit bulls for fun. And you ain’t allowed out until you all vote on what you’re going to do tonight. You like to put your feet up and watch ‘Republican Party Reservation.’ They like to have sex with normal people using knives, guns, and brand new sexual organs that you did not know existed. So you vote for television and everyone else, as far as your eye can see, votes to fuck you with switchblades. That’s voting. You’re welcome."
– Spider Jerusalem, Transmetropolitan
Democracy Quotes for the People, by Libertas Bella originally appeared in Thought Grenades, the blog on LibertasBella.com.
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