Aristotle Quotes

The function of a parliamentary democracy, under universal suffrage, historically considered, is to expose wealth-privilege to the attacks of the people.

Wherever you have votes, you have power.

Under universal suffrage the elected are those who know best how to take in the masses. The minority, which may happen to be the half minus one, is sacrificed.

Can we blame an elector of the poorer classes, who has only the choice among two or three rich men, for requiring from the one he votes for a pledge to those measures which he considers as a test of emancipation from the class-interests of the rich?

Political power is now widely diffused; and whatever may be the evils of democracy, this good has come of it, that it has forced men to open their eyes to the misery of the masses, and to inquire more zealously as to the possibility of a better distribution of wealth.

Democratic power is the only voice most citizens have.

Rich people are powerful in wealth but few in votes.

It is quite plain that your government will never be able to restrain a distressed and discontented majority. For with you the majority is the government, and has the rich, who are always a minority, absolutely at its mercy.

Democracy is not the ideally best form of government … unless it can be so organized that no class, not even the most numerous, shall be able to reduce all but itself to political insignificance, and direct the course of legislation and administration by its exclusive class interest.

Since the poor don’t vote, and the rich are too few to mention, the middle class chooses all by itself who runs the country.

Democracy is when the people keep a government in check.

The practical core of democracy, defined functionally, is the peaceful exchange of power between different groups of powerful political players arranged in parties.

Democracy is a good client.

Power is action; the electoral principle is discussion. No political action is possible when discussion is permanently established.

To lead a country, you must periodically hold a national consultation in which people representing different programmes can make a bid for power.

A claim for equality of material position can be met only by a government with totalitarian powers.

I'm the one who initiated the democratic process.

If democracy brings an undemocratic group to power, is that a victory for democracy?

In a democracy, supposedly we hold power by what we do at the ballot box, so therefore the more we know about political power the better our choices should be and the better, in theory, our democracy should be.

Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers.

The American polity is infected with a serious imbalance of power between elites and masses, a power which is the principal threat to our democracy.

In a democracy there is a centralization of governmental power in a simple majority.

You need just the right amount of protection for the rich under democracy: too little and the elite will not agree to democracy; too much and the poor will go ahead and have the revolution...

An imbalance between the rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.

Our democracy may have an aristocracy of talent, as Jefferson said – which is fine – but we don’t want everyone else to be left out. Something like that seems to be happening, though.