Cass Sunstein Quotes

Democracy depends on well educated and engaged citizens.

Democracy is not just voting for your leaders; it's really premised upon ordinary citizens understanding the issues.

Indeed, willingness to challenge professional economists and other experts is a foundation stone of democracy. If all we have to do is to listen to the experts, what is the point of having democracy?

The capacity to combine commitment with skepticism is essential to democracy.

We are in a democratic society. It's our job to question.

Democracy is something that you must learn each generation. It has to be taught.

I always tell my students: I don't care which side you're on. I respect you too much to try to persuade you in 120 minutes a week, much less lure you into pretending that you agree with me. All I want is for you to own this democracy, to see yours, to have a stake in it.

Questioning is the great strength of democracy; the ability to doubt without losing face

A democracy depends on its people, the literate and the well read.

Democracy should be practiced not every six years, but every day.

A democracy is predicated on an educated citizenry. You cannot have a democracy with people that are more interested in what Nicole Kidman is doing or whoever the latest fashion model is.

This is why universities, and civil society more generally, are so important for a democracy like ours, founded on a genuine idealism that we have a hard time holding on to. They provide a space to question whatever we are doing in the name of things we say we believe in or might believe in.

Democracy does not require perfect equality, but it does require that citizens share in a common life.

Only a knowledgeable, empowered and vocal citizenry can perform well in democracy.

Democracy doesn't require a whole lot of work of its citizens, but it requires some: It requires taking a good look outside once in a while, and considering the bad news and what it might mean, and making the occasional tough choice, and soberly taking stock of what your real interests are.

Citizenship is a tough occupation which obliges the citizen to make his own informed opinion and stand by it.

The nature of a democracy consists to an important degree in the right of the people to criticize problems and mistakes.

And they understand that to be an effective member of a democracy, you have to accept responsibility.

Deliberation and debate is the way you stir the soul of our democracy.

Democracy functions best when we have an active citizenry.

To acquire immunity to eloquence is of the utmost importance to the citizens of a democracy.

Without an educated populace, democracy cannot sustain itself.

El Salvador is a democracy so it's not surprising that there are many voices to be heard here. Yet in my conversations with Salvadorans... I have heard a single voice.

Anybody who asks for democracy to be introduced should respect the results of democracy.

Democracy, it appears, is a bit chancy. But its chances also depend on what we do ourselves.