Skip to content

Democracy Quotes

Barack Obama and the Nigerian president Bola Tinubu have the most entries, with H. L. Mencken and Franklin Roosevelt behind them, so a lot of the page is speeches. For the dry material go to Mencken in Smart Set (1910), who called democracy the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard; Shaw’s Maxims for Revolutionists (1903), on election by the incompetent many instead of appointment by the corrupt few; and Disraeli’s Lothair (1870).

“Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch” is credited to Benjamin Franklin and flagged misattributed. The earliest version in the notes is a Usenet post from 23 April 1990. The line that democracy is the most vile form of government, credited to Madison, is flagged too.

Random quote on Democracy

Most quoted on democracy:

We are not the consumers of democracy, we are its proprietors.

Raj Patel

If Ukraine becomes a pro-American liberal democracy, and a member of NATO, and a member of the E.U., the Russians will consider that categorically unacceptable.

John Mearsheimer

Democracy is under attack. It's under attack in every country in the world. It's in grave danger of being lost unless we defend it.

Sting

If eliminating the filibuster is what it takes to get it done, then we must protect our democracy at all costs.

Jacky Rosen

Democracy is not an African ideology it comes from the West.

Ama Tutu Muna

In 2006, the 5th National Assembly protected our democracy against an unseemly third-term bid that would have ripped our Constitution apart.

Bola Tinubu

If we don’t want this democracy, it is better we forget about it.

Ruth Obih

If Zimbabwe fails to recognize women's potential for influential leadership positions, the country risks falling behind and undermining its democracy.

Olivia Muchena

“Disillusionment with politics is rife, and many democracies are sliding toward autocracy.”

Usha Prashar, Baroness Prashar

We believe in democracy not a thugocracy, a rule by thugs.We are not a thugocratic party but a democratic party.

Nelson Chamisa

The big role I played during the National Democratic Coalition struggle for the enthronement of democracy was a huge success.

Lam Adesina

It is the question of questions. All that Democracy ever meant lies there: the attainment of a truer and truer Aristocracy, or Government again by the Best.

Thomas Carlyle Latter-Day Pamphlets (1850)

Democracy cannot consist solely of elections that are nearly always fictitious and managed by rich landowners and professional politicians.

Che Guevara On Growth and Imperialism (1961)

All history and its best minds have declared there is no more vile form of government than democracy.

David Lane

We are a parliamentary democracy; we don’t function by plebiscite. It’s dangerous. I don’t believe in referendums – Hitler and Mussolini organised referendums

Sting

Trust is the lifeblood of a decent society. The true currency of democracy.

Alex Salmond Church of Scotland (2009)

That is against the basic principle of democracy.

Khizr and Ghazala Khan Interview in Anderson Cooper 360° (2016)

To tell the truth I don't know myself what Tory Democracy is. But I believe it is principally opportunism.

Lord Randolph Churchill

Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely.

Jack Posobiec

Complaints are normal even in democracies. This doesn't mean you should take up arms.

Edith Sempala

Related topics