Plato Quotes

Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers.

Democracy is not majority rule but rule by public opinion.

A democracy exists whenever those who are free and are not well-off, being in the majority, are in sovereign control of government, an oligarchy when control lies with the rich and better-born, these being few.

Democracy is the form of government in which the free are rulers, and oligarchy in which the rich; it is only an accident that the free are the many and the rich are the few.

And a democracy, I suppose, comes into being when the poor, winning the victory, put to death some of the other party, drive out others, and grant the rest of the citizens an equal share in both citizenship and offices.

This country has always been run by elite, and it's an elitist democracy. And that's not a radical concept. It's elitist democracy. When people talk about democracy, they don't talk - really talk about participatory democracy, until the point that we get us at Election Day.

Democracy is based upon the conviction that there are extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people.

My message is that Democracy is not an alien invention. It is a way of solving problems in our society.

There are but two parties. There never have been but two parties ... founded in the radical question, whether people or property shall govern?

The function of a parliamentary democracy, under universal suffrage, historically considered, is to expose wealth-privilege to the attacks of the people.

In an autocracy, one person has his way; in an aristocracy a few people have their way; in a democracy no one has his way.

An equality of estate will give an equality of power; and an equality of power is a commonwealth, or democracy…

Because the rich are generally few in number, while the poor are many, they appear to be antagonistic, and as the one or the other prevails they form the government. Hence arises the common opinion that there are two kinds of government - democracy and oligarchy.

The form of government is a democracy when the free, who are also poor and the majority, govern, and an oligarchy when the rich and the noble govern, they being at the same time few in number.

democracy is that which affords a rule of living as well as a test of faith.

Democracy is a form of the state, it represents, on the one hand, the organized, systematic use of force against persons; but, on the other hand, it signifies the formal recognition of equality of citizens, the equal right of all to determine the structure of, and to administer, the state.

Democracy is good for everybody.

When the body of the people is possessed of the supreme power, it is called a democracy.

Democracy is a good client.

It is unfortunate that people believe that in order to democratise something you have to get politicians out of the system.

Democracy is not about one party dominating.

Democracy is constructed like an edifice, freedom by freedom, right by right, until it reaches its snapping point.

The basis of our political system is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government.

Democracy is the fig leaf of elitism.

Democracy means decision by those concerned.