John Ralston Saul Quotes
If you live in a democracy, it's very tiring to be always surrounded by great and high abstract generalisations which are, in fact, the most banal and naive cliches dug out of second-rate movements of the late 19th century.
Saul, John Ralston. The Unconscious Civilization. House of Anansi Press, 1995.
After the many years of the Cold War attacking of Democracy, for many Russians the word conveys a bad image of their old enemy. For others, using the word reminds them that the Soviet Union collapsed and the Russians lost the cold war—an unpleasant memory. Yet many of the leaders of the Russian Federation very much wanted to democratize Russia. Bushmin had this very practical, albeit humorous, solution.
Comment on the Election of President Putin.
John Ralston Saul CC OOnt is a Canadian writer, political philosopher, and public intellectual. Saul is most widely known for his writings on the nature of individualism, citizenship and the public good; the failures of manager-led societies; the confusion between leadership and managerialism; military strategy, in particular irregular warfare; the role of freedom of speech and culture; and critiques of the prevailing economic paradigm. He is a champion of freedom of expression and was the International President of PEN International, an association of writers. Saul is the co-founder and co-chair of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, a national charity promoting the inclusion of new citizens. He is also the co-Founder and co-Chair of 6 Degrees, the global forum for inclusion. Saul is also the husband to the former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, making him the Viceregal consort of Canada during most of her service (1999-2005).
