John Ralston Saul Quotes

Everybody has a say, everybody has a voice, because everyone that comes to the House had about 750,000 people they're representing. And you want those voices heard.

Democracy is not something we have, it's something we do.

Voting is fundamental in our democracy. It has yielded enormous returns.

I believe that everyone should participate in democracy and enjoy doing it.

What's wrong is that we are not participating to make this the type of government it needs to be.

The voting booth joint is a great leveler; the whole neighborhood - rich, poor, old, young, decrepit and spunky - they all turn out in one day.

Democracy functions best when we have an active citizenry.

Democracy belongs to those who exercise it.

Democracy actually requires that the whole public be able to see common problems and address them and step outside of their own sort of narrow self-interest to do so.

I am aware that one should always make room for renewal in politics. A democracy is the healthier for the turnover of the depth of talent there is in its community.

Majority rule rests on numbers; democracy rests on the well-grounded assumption that society is neither a collection of units nor an organism but a network of human relations.

Democracy is not something you believe in or a place to hang your hat, but it's something you do. You participate. If you stop doing it, democracy crumbles.

A democracy is more than a form of government; it is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience.

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

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

Those who stay away from the election think that one vote will do no good: T'is but one step more to think one vote will do no harm.

Voting is the first duty of democracy.

Voting is still the most exciting thing we do as Americans together.

Democracy is not a result. Democracy is a process.

I know how illusory would be the belief that my vote determined anything; but nevertheless when I go to the polls I have a satisfaction in the sense that we are all engaged in a common venture.

Democracy does not have to be a blood sport …

Somehow we must be able to show people that democracy is not about words, but action.

We can moralize all day about how we want ideal citizens to be, but democracy is most secure, and tolerance is maximized, when we design systems to accommodate how people actually are.

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

Voting is completely important. People in America think democracy is a given. I think of it as an ecosystem, and what gets in the way of it is politicians and apathy.