A constitutional democracy is in serious trouble if its citizenry does not have a certain degree of education and civic virtue.
America is an outlier in the world of democracies when it comes to the structure and conduct of elections.
Our alliances should be understood as a means to expand our influence, not as a constraint on our power. The expansion of democracy and freedom in the world should be a shared interest and value with all nations.
If President Trump were to say, 'I'm going to go to San Juan to see that nasty mayor,' I would receive him with open arms because democracy is larger than me.
That was the miracle of Abraham Lincoln, politician. He pursued the high purpose of moving justice forward via the low arts of patronage and patronization. Indeed, in a democracy, it is usually the only way great deeds are done.
The road to democracy is rarely smooth, but for Egyptian women, it has been exceptionally bumpy.
We have to implant democracies where there are now dictatorships.
I always assume that democracy is the only good form of government, quite frankly, and democracy is always to be preferred.
Bosses are no more inevitable in state and local governments than dictators are in national governments. They will arise and prosper, nevertheless, if true believers of democracy - citizens devoted to the democratic ideals - do not constantly oppose them.
Who is against democracy? Is it the one who calls for peaceful resistance, or the one who bombs people, sheds their blood and leads them away from the leaders under feeble and dirty pretexts?
If immigration reform doesn't happen, that doesn't say good things about our democracy, that everybody wants it, but Congress couldn't pass it.
Democracy is difficult and demanding. So is history. It can crack your voice; it can stir your soul; it can break your heart.
The United States exists as a sovereign nation. 'America,' in contrast, exists as a myth of democracy and equal opportunity to live by, or as an ideal goal to reach.
America's Veterans have served their country with the belief that democracy and freedom are ideals to be upheld around the world.
America is a country ready to be taken, in fact, longing to be taken by political leaders ready to restore democracy and trust to the political process.
The transition from tyranny to democracy is very hard. The Syrian people have to handle this in a way that works in Syria. And the brutality of the Assad regime is unacceptable.
Democracy forever teases us with the contrast between its ideals and its realities, between its heroic possibilities and its sorry achievements.
Once you don't vote your ideals... that has serious undermining affects. It erodes the moral basis of our democracy.
Apparently, a democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates.
Democracy presumes that we're all created equal; competition proves we are not, or else every race would end in a tie.
Democracy is indispensable to socialism.
There is so much that can be done, you see, the assembly is about improving our democracy.
Colonialism subdues in many dulcet guises. It conquered under the pretext of spreading Christianity, civilization, law and order, to make the world safe for democracy.
Robert Moses wasn't elected to anything. We're taught that in a democracy power comes from being elected. He had more power than anyone, and he held it for 48 years.
My parents were of the generation who thought they were the children of a free Czechoslovakia, the only democracy in central Europe.
Democracy is not simply a question of structures. It is a state of mind. It is an activity. And part of that activity is honesty.
I think Russians today have a distorted picture of capitalism, liberal democracy and market economy.
Democracy divides people into workers and loafers. It makes no provision for those who have no time to work.
Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.
The essence of a democracy is a free electorate.
I wanted to get far away from those who believed in cruelty, so then I went to France, a land of true freedom, democracy, equality and fraternity.
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.
Democracy is a political method, that is to say, a certain type of institutional arrangement for arriving at political - legislative and administrative - decisions and hence incapable of being an end in itself.
American democracy must be a failure because it places the supreme authority in the hands of the poorest and most ignorant part of the society.
Dishonesty in government is the business of every citizen. It is not enough to do your own job. There's no particular virtue in that. Democracy isn't a gift. It's a responsibility.
The good news, to relieve all this gloom, is that a democracy is inherently self-correcting. Here, the people are sovereign. Inept political leaders can be replaced. Foolish policies can be changed. Disastrous mistakes can be reversed.
