6 quotes
Democracy is a political system for people who are not sure that they are right.
Two Hundred Million Americans in Search of a Government (1969)
Democracy begins as an act of imagination about people. For this reason democracy is a doctrine of social criticism.
Two Hundred Million Americans in Search of a Government (1969)
People who do not know what government is are not likely to know what democracy is either, for democracy is only what the soft inside of the oyster looks like.
Two Hundred Million Americans in Search of a Government (1969)
Government is the most successful idea in the world, but for all its success and importance it is something imperfect. There is no ideal state. After thousands of years it is still a mixture of good and evil.
Two Hundred Million Americans in Search of a Government (1969)
The love of people goes far beyond liberty, rights, equality, and justice. It is something positive, seeks the fullest possible self-realization; it contemplates happiness, overflows all differences, and creates the kind of wealth that can be produced only by people who enjoy their common participation in a community.
Two Hundred Million Americans in Search of a Government (1969)
What is government? From the outside it looks like a security system based on the marriage of land and people, From the inside, it looks like and attempts to create a community. A government is like an oyster, hard on the outside and soft on the inside, and the outside and inside are utterly dependent on each other.
Two Hundred Million Americans in Search of a Government (1969)