#democracy

Our forefathers were not only brave. I believe they were right. I believe that what they meant was that every man born had equal right to grow from scratch by way of his own power unhindered to the highest expression of himself possible to him. This of course not antagonistic by sympathetic to the growth of all men as brothers. Free emulation not imitation of the "bravest and the best" is to be expected of him. Uncommon he may and will and should become as inspiration to his fellows, not a reflection upon them, not to be resented but accepted--and in this lies the only condition of the common man's survival. So only is he intrinsic to democracy. Persistently holding quality above quantity only as he attempts to live a superior life of his own, and to whatsoever degree in whatever case he finds it; this is his virtue in a democracy such as ours was designed to be. Only this sense of proportion affords tranquility of spirit, in itself beauty, in either character of action. Nature is never other than serene even in a thunderstorm. The assumption of the "firm countenance, lips compressed" in denial or resentment is not known to her as it is known to civilization. Such negation by human countenance may be moral (civilization is inclined to morality) but even so not nature. Again exuberance is repose but never excess. ↗

— Frank Lloyd Wright

#beauty

But democrats are seldom welcome on planets run by totalitarian governments, and scarcely more welcome on planets where anarchy prevails--this is due to the very nature of democracy, the only practical compromise between totalitarianism and anarchy. ↗

— Christopher Stasheff

#democracy #totalitarianism #nature

The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerated the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself. That in its essence is fascism: ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or any controlling private power. ↗

— Franklin D. Roosevelt

#liberty

Democracy is not merely a form of Government. It is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience. It is essentially an attitude of respect and reverence towards our fellow men. ↗

— B.R. Ambedkar

#democracy #government #respecting-others #reverence #attitude

The rights of democracy are not reserved for a select group within society, they are the rights of all the people. ↗

— Olof Palme

#group #people #reserved #rights #select

We Americans have the great gifts of freedom and democracy, but it has been our education system that has fulfilled the promise of democracy. ↗

— James E. Rogers

#democracy #education #freedom #fulfilled #gifts

We're going to have to forgive a great deal of the Soviet era debt. There's no question about that. Let's face up to that. We're going to have to put in money if Russia is really going to consolidate a democracy. ↗

— Jeffrey Sachs

#consolidate #deal #debt #democracy #era

We cannot cut and run. If we are to ensure freedom and democracy, it is essential that we follow through on our obligation to bring about stability in Iraq. ↗

— Richard Shelby

#bring #cannot #cut #democracy #ensure

We will not fail your expectations of us as a new nation dedicated to peace, democracy, and freedom. ↗

— Shigeru Yoshida

#democracy #expectations #fail #freedom #nation

secrecy is the freedom tyrants dream of ↗

— Bill Moyers

#dreams