Teresa Heinz Quotes

Our democracy is predicated on the belief that our government should be accessible by the people. We cannot allow ourselves to give in to fear or shy away from interacting with the public.

A basic tenet of a healthy democracy is open dialogue and transparency.

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.

Democracy is not theater - it determines life and death!

One of our most noble political tasks is to open up trust.

In a democracy, a leader must be the head teacher, someone eager to respond to doubts and questions and explain the need for and the benefits of a new course.

Anyone who wants to be part of the political process should adopt values that are compatible with democracy.

But democracy isn't a state of perfection. It has to be improved, and that means constant vigilance.

One could always do more, faster and cleverer, but democracy has its own rhythm.

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

Democracy is a means of achieving a higher level of individual and collective gratification, welfare, peace, stability and prosperity. It is not an end in itself! Practitioners of democracy in the Pacific should therefore be pragmatic in their approach. An idealistic and a purist approach is, I believe, misplaced.

Democracy must live as it thinks and think as it lives

If you can exchange information freely, isn’t that almost a definition of democracy.

Democracy is not elections. Democracy includes elections.

Our democracy must be not only the envy of the world but the engine of our own renewal.

Free and open communications is the best guarantee of democracy.

One of the greatest things that we provide in our democracy is the approachability of public officials.

The basis of effective government is public confidence.

The greatest way to defend democracy is to make it work.

Democracy needs to be nurtured and treated with care.

What makes our country unique is its commitment to being open, to making its leaders accountable.

If I were to say anything to people I may say people should vote for those who are respectful to democracy, rule of law, who get on well with people.

We are determined to rebuild the confidence of our people in public institutions and restore the credibility of those elected to serve them.

When all Americans believe that the people we elect deserve to be in power, that their conduct in office is worthy of respect, and that they can be held accountable for their decisions, our politics will finally be worthy of our great people.

Our democracy only works when the official opposition does its job of opposing the government of the day and offers a clear alternative vision for our country, including giving a voice to the voiceless.