People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.
GovernmentsV for Vendetta, by VThe day we stop believing democracy can work is the day we lose it.
Jamillia in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the ClonesDemocracy isn't just there. We have to work for it together - every day.
German Unity, 2021Angela Merkel, October 2021, during the 31st Day of German UnityIt's every citizen's duty to challenge their leaders, to keep them honest, and hold them accountable if they're not.
Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Season 3 Episode 6Pretty much all I say politically is I encourage people to register to vote.
Elections & VotingEmmylou HarrisDemocracy functions best when we have an active citizenry.
Rick PerryDemocracy is complicated. It enables openness, it values debates, free thoughts and arguments. That's why it's vulnerable - from the inside and outside.
Annalena Baerbock, August 2022Democracy has the power to quickly spread. But its erosion can happen just as fast. Democracy is freedom. We need to stand up for it.
Ursula von der Leyen, December 2021Democracy is based upon empathy and the recognition that some decisions are solely for the community's benefit without regard to one's own narrow self-interest.
EmpathyJohn HickenlooperDemocracy is being allowed to vote for the candidate you dislike least.
Robert ByrneHuman beings do want peace, stability and harmony and that comes through democracy.
Shiva AyyaduraiDemocracy means that anyone can grow up to be president, and anyone who doesn't grow up can be vice president.
Johnny CarsonDemocracy is not static. It is a living force. Every new idea, every new invention offers opportunity for both good and evil.
Herbert HooverA community is democratic only when the humblest and weakest person can enjoy the highest civil, economic, and social rights that the biggest and most powerful possess.
SocietyA. Philip RandolphWhere 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.
JusticeThurgood MarshallWhen you become part of something, in some way you count. It could be a march; it could be a rally, even a brief one. You're part of something, and you suddenly realize you count. To count is very important.
RevolutionStuds TerkelI like the noise of democracy.
James BuchananA free press is the cornerstone of democracy; there is no question about that.
Freedom of PressHugh GrantFreedom is hammered out on the anvil of discussion, dissent, and debate.
Freedom, TalkingHubert H. HumphreyToo many people expect wonders from democracy, when the most wonderful thing of all is just having it.
Walter WinchellFor me, democracy must deliver a better life for the people.
Joko WidodoDemocracy is beautiful in theory; in practice it is a fallacy.
Benito MussoliniLet us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.
Franklin D. RooseveltDemocracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage.
H. L. MenckenFor history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth.
Human Rights, Freedom, 2013Barack Obama, Inauguration Speech, 21st January 2013Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.
JusticeReinhold NiebuhrThis country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing Government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it.
USA, Independence DayAbraham Lincoln (Inaugural Address), 1861