Jens Martin Skibsted Quotes

And in Canada we, you know, it costs us three or $400 million to have an election. You know, it's always been my position that we shouldn't complain about that; that's the price of admission for a living in a great democracy.

What we are doing in fact is recovering and progressing and sustaining the recovery of our democracy.

Having principled men and women in office is how you protect yourself from tyranny, and that was something I learned from when I was 2, 3, 5 years old.

This is one of the finest expressions of U. S. democracy at work.

We are not perfect. Democracy is a messy business … Democracy depends on people getting and keeping involved … In our democracy, the government is not them; it is us.

Institutionalizing dissent in our agencies moves us toward a healthier democracy and helps fulfill our founders' vision.

I don't think we should be undermining our democracy.

Democracy requires an informed citizenry able to question its government.

The spirit of democracy is not a mechanical thing to be adjusted by abolition of forms. It requires change of heart.

Democracy is not just constitutional and legislative rules; it is a culture and practice and adhering by the law and respecting international human rights principles.

We think that democracy can change a lot of things, but we're being fooled, because democracy is not the election. We've been taught that democracy is having elections. And it isn't. Elections are the most horrendous aspect of democracy. It's the most mundane, trivial, disappointing, dirty aspect.

Our democracy is predicated on the belief that our government should be accessible by the people. We cannot allow ourselves to give in to fear or shy away from interacting with the public.

Democracy doesn't require a whole lot of work of its citizens, but it requires some: It requires taking a good look outside once in a while, and considering the bad news and what it might mean, and making the occasional tough choice, and soberly taking stock of what your real interests are.

Democracy as a promise means that society can never be just enough and that the self-reflection and struggles that enable all members of the community to participate in the decisions and institutions that shape their lives must be continually debated, safeguarded, and preserved at all costs.

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

We have accepted the principle of democracy and we are committed to respect the popular verdict and the result of that national consultation.

I tell you, in my opinion, the cornerstone of democracy is free press - that's the cornerstone.

Everybody now seems to be talking about democracy. I don't understand this. As I think of it, democracy isn't like a Sunday suit to be brought out and worn only for parades. It's the kind of a life a decent man leads, it's something to live for and to die for.

The nature of a democracy consists to an important degree in the right of the people to criticize problems and mistakes.

If information and knowledge are central to democracy, they are conditions for development.

Our democracy is not a product but a continual process. It is preserved not by monuments but deeds. Sometimes it needs refining; sometimes it needs amending; sometimes it needs defending. Always, it needs improving.

Public confidence in the integrity of the Government is indispensable to faith in democracy; and when we lose faith in the system, we have lost faith in everything we fight and spend for.

Bring it on. Dissent is central to any democracy.

Anyone who wants to be part of the political process should adopt values that are compatible with democracy.

Democracy belongs to those who exercise it.