Elizabeth Drew Quotes

Democracy is that fine art of compromise.

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

The consent of the governed" is more than a safeguard against ignorant tyrants: it is an insurance against benevolent despots as well.

Above all, democracy means pluralism.

Democracy is a device that insures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.

I think the advantage of democracy is that it makes us less dependent on a group of leaders.

In democracy everyone has the right to be represented, even the jerks.

A full and fair discussion is essential to democracy.

Democracy involves that old-fashioned thing called working it out.

When we say 'democracy' we have to mean what we say.

Let's face it: however old-fashioned and out of date and devaluated the word is, we like the way of living provided by democracy.

A democracy requires a certain amount of common ground.

Two great parties are forming in all nations. For one there is a right of government to be exercised by one or several persons over the mass of the people .... This is opposed by the new system which admits no right of government except that arising from the free consent of those who submit to it.

In a democracy, not everyone gets what they want.

Democracy is messy.

Democracy can be noisy and messy. But it works.

The real strength of the democratic theory in opposition to the fascist or communist is that the fascist frankly states that certain people will tell other people what they shall do to be happy, and those other people have little or nothing to say about it. In theory the communists were to do everything in common, in practice a small group there also tells other people what they shall do to achieve their objectives. So far more nearly than any other form of government, the democratic form has allowed people to shape their own government

Democracy is a self-correcting mechanism.

In democracy dissent is an act of faith. Like medicine, the test of its value is not its taste, but its effect,...

If we believe in a democratic system, we have to accept the will of the people.

Democracy is messy, and it's hard. It's never easy.

Democracy doesn't mean I always get my way. It doesn't mean we always get what we want.

If allowed, democracy does actually work.

In disputes, be not so desirous to overcome as to not give liberty to each one to deliver his opinion and submit to the judgment of the major part, especially if they are judges of the dispute.

Agreeing to disagree is a prerogative only of those who live under a democratic system.