P. J. O'Rourke Quotes

No idea holds greater sway in the minds of educated Americans that the belief that it is possible to democratize governments anytime and anywhere under any circumstances .

It is important to remember that some of the most serious thinkers once thought that democracy was not compatible with the cultures of Germany, Italy, Japan, Latin America and Russia.

Neither current events nor history shows that the majority rules, or ever did rule.

One of the first things we must get rid of is the idea that democracy is tantamount to capitalism.

The case for democracy is not esthetic.

Democracy is itself, a religious faith. For some it comes close to being the only formal religion they have.

To make Democracy work, you need an aristocratic democracy. To make Aristocracy work, you need a democratic aristocracy.

If the people of the Middle East are not sure what democracy means, let them look to Israel.

We are no longer facing a contest betweenDemocracy and Communism. The conflict today is between Democracy and authoritarianism.

No democracy pretends to be a tyranny. Most tyrannies pretend they are democracies. Democracy remains the definition of political legitimacy.

The world doesn't understand the system here. The authority of the people. You don't understand it.

Nationalism has nothing to do with democratic values: Authoritarians can be nationalists; indeed, most are.

I draw a very clear distinction between populism and democracy.

America has deep, fundamental institutions that take a long time to replicate.

Democracies have to be careful that they do not become so process-driven.

Which, autocracy or democracy, is really better suited to modern China? If we base our judgment upon the intelligence and the ability of the Chinese people, we come to the conclusion that the sovereignty of the people would be far more suitable for us.

In a democracy, nothing is more sacred than the mandate given by the people.

We think about democracy, and that's the word that Americans love to use, 'democracy,' and that's how we characterize our system. But if democracy just means going to vote, it's pretty meaningless. Russia has democracy in that sense. Most authoritarian regimes have democracy in that sense.

Any comparison between the military dictatorship and democracy can only come from those who do not value the Brazilian democracy.

Democracy is an interesting, even laudable, notion and there is no question but that when compared to Communism, which is too dull, or Fascism, which is too exciting, it emerges as the most palatable form of government.

It is not true that democracy will always safeguard freedom of conscience better than autocracy. Witness the most famous of all trials. Pilate was, from the standpoint of the Jews, certainly the representative of autocracy. Yet he tried to protect freedom. And he yielded to a democracy.

This is the democratic process at work, What you're seeing with this process is the Iraqi people embracing American-style democracy.

Democracy is our commitment. It is our great legacy, a legacy we simply cannot compromise. Democracy is in our DNA. I have seen the strength of democracy. If there were no democracy then someone like me, Modi, a child born in a poor family, how would he sit here? This is the strength of democracy.

Democracy is a gleaming Excalibur - let's not use it just to mend the toaster.

I think that rather than talking about particular models, of which there could be a huge number, we should talk about basic principles of democracy. After all, even within the West, there is no single standard and single model.