J. William Fulbright Quotes

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

Bring it on. Dissent is central to any democracy.

Opinion and protest are the life breath of democracy—even when it blows heavy.

So long as we have enough people in this country willing to fight for their rights, we'll be called a democracy.

The freedom to persuade and suggest is the essence of the democratic process.

Democracy affords debate, discussion and dissent.

Democracy is much too important to be left to public opinion.

Democracy is about opposition.

It would be a tragedy for democracy if dissent goes away.

If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal.

The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive.

And that is my definition of democracy, the right to be in a minority and not be suppressed.

A government of, by and for the people is obligated to conduct the nation's business in a manner that respects dissent.

Criticism in a free man's country is made on certain assumptions, one of which is the assumption that the government belongs to the people and is at all times subject to the people's correction and criticism.

Democracy in a nation of 300 million people can be noisy and messy and complicated. And when you try to do big things and make big changes, it stirs passions and controversy. That's just how it is.

We live in a democracy, and people are free to sometimes choose the wrong leader.

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

Protests are part of our democracy.

Democracy is not what we hate the most and what we fear the most. We need to stand up.

So now is the time, more than ever, for those who truly value all the principles of democracy, especially including dissent, to be the most forceful in speaking up, standing up and speaking out.

You know, when we get to a point in this country where dissent is extremism, we've turned, I think, a very dark page in our history. And I don't want us to go there. I encourage Americans and I'm - right now, to go to these town hall meetings, to - to talk to your Congressmen, the people that you elected.

We're quite lucky that we've got political freedoms. We should be using them.

The real truth is, I just want to keep the voice of dissent alive in all of our elections. I don't really want to hang out with politicians.

I have great confidence in the universal value and in basic human rights and I have great confidence that referenda will eventually take root and become part of our daily lives in Taiwan.

I like the noise of democracy.