Jim Hightower Quotes

But, you know, I'm sorry, I think democracy requires participation. I mean, I don't want to proselytize but I do feel some sort of duty to participate in the process in some way other than just blindly getting behind a political party.

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.

Our democracy is not something to be taken for granted. You have to fight for it. You have to commit yourself to working for it - for the long haul.

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

We are in a democratic society. It's our job to question.

There can be no daily democracy without daily citizenship.

It is only when the people become ignorant and corrupt, when they degenerate into a populace, that they are incapable of exercising their sovereignty.

A constitutional democracy is in serious trouble if its citizenry does not have a certain degree of education and civic virtue.

What's hard, it seems, is living up to the expectations Democracy imposes upon those who would participate in society.

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.

The fundamentalist call has resonance because it invited men to participate… in contrast to a political culture that reduces citizens to spectators and asked them to leave things to their rulers.

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

Democracy should be practiced not every six years, but every day.

Democracy depends on well educated and engaged citizens.

I think I bring a perspective that local communities are what make this country great, and they are the laboratories of democracy.

I ask you to find your voice and use it not only to choose your elected officials but to shape the issues that will shape our lives.

I'm a citizen in a democracy. To call me an activist would be redundant. It's not a spectator sport. If we all become non-participants, it no longer works.

A people may prefer a free government, but if, from indolence, or carelessness, or cowardice, or want of public spirit, they are unequal to the exertions necessary for preserving it. They are more or less unfit for liberty; and although it may be for their good to have had it even for a short time, they are unlikely long to enjoy it

Democracy is not simply a question of structures. It is a state of mind. It is an activity.

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.

There is little hope for democracy if the hearts of men and women in democratic societies cannot be touched by a call to something greater than themselves.

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

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

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.

Only a knowledgeable, empowered and vocal citizenry can perform well in democracy.