Rohini Nilekani Quotes

... the even more fundamental task that lies before the leader of a democracy is to bring to the people the realization that true democracy is the effort of the people individually to carry their share of the burden of government.

There can be no daily democracy without daily citizenship.

I call on people to be 'obsessed citizens,' forever questioning and asking for accountability. That's the only chance we have today of a healthy and happy life.

Being a citizen in a democracy involves more than just voting. It means being involved for the common whole.

To speak practically and as a citizen, unlike those who call themselves no-government men, I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government. Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward obtaining it.

Be aware and hold the government accountable.

Bernard Shaw remains the only model we have of what the citizen of a democracy should be: an informed participant in all things we deem important to the society and the individual.

Dishonesty in government is the business of every citizen. It is not enough to do your own job. There's no particular virtue in that. Democracy isn't a gift. It's a responsibility.

I will run an open government that speaks with honesty, seeks opinion, listens to its citizens.

The value of government to the people it serves is in direct relationship to the interest citizens themselves display in the affairs of state.

A government of, for and by the people, requires much from the people.

I encourage everyone out there to get involved.

My dream of politics all my life has been that it is the common business, that it is something we owe to each other to understand and discuss with absolute frankness.

We as citizens should hold our government accountable for word and deed.

Responsible citizenship comes from direct participation in the conduct of the government, and imposes equal responsibility upon every citizen. If we could quicken and increase appreciation of this responsibility, and every citizen were made to feel its weight and importance, it would go far toward improving our political and national life.

In the final analysis, a democratic government represents the sum total of the courage and the integrity of its individuals. It cannot be better than they are.

The American Government will be what we all make of it.

Democracy is not a spectator sport. It is a difficult, hard, full-contact, participatory endeavor.

Democracy, of course, requires strong demands from the public.

People should look at the government as 'us,' not as 'them' and not in terror.

I think it's the height of patriotism to continue to exercise your right as a citizen and to hold your government to account. Isn't that what the very essence of democracy is about?

Democracy depends on well educated and engaged citizens.

We cannot be mere consumers of good governance, we must be participants; we must be co-creators.

As for being a voice in politics, I feel whether you are famous or not, busy or not, it's incumbent upon every citizen to participate in this government in any way we can.

The job of a citizen is to keep his mouth open.