Richard Dreyfuss Quotes

An actual residence of such a length of time as would give a man an opportunity of esteeming the Government from knowing its intrinsic value, was essentially necessary to assure us of a man’s becoming a good citizen.

Civics is not only how to run the country before it's your turn to run the country; it is, in fact, the study of power, practical political power. And you must start that process at an age level when kids' brains are still open and malleable.

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

Half the states have stopped making civics and government a requirement for high school. Half.

We need to get young people excited about politics, excited about government.

But, you know, I'm sorry, I think democracy requires participation. I mean, I don't want to proselytize but I do feel some sort of duty to participate in the process in some way other than just blindly getting behind a political party.

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

I think we may be seeing the beginnings of a resurgence of civic-mindedness in this country. Hopefully the younger generations, which came out in record numbers during the last presidential election, will pass their enthusiasm on to their children.

It is one of the great tragedies of the US, that most learn most of what they know about the government from the government.

You can't be a full participant in our democracy if you don't know our history.

With regard to the youth vote we should encourage them to partake in the process, making more use of our education system to show the role Government plays in their lives, but also utilise the youth media they relate to to better connect them to our message.

The first lesson in civics is that efficient government begins at home.

I'm responsible. I even did a commercial for MTV saying how I was going to register to vote. And I still haven't.

Without an educated populace, democracy cannot sustain itself.

Freedom isn't free. It shouldn't be a bragging point that 'Oh, I don't get involved in politics,' as if that makes someone cleaner. No, that makes you derelict of duty in a republic. Liars and panderers in government would have a much harder time of it if so many people didn't insist on their right to remain ignorant and blindly agreeable.

I feel a real responsibility to my community and so right now there has been this bizarre myth in our community how our vote doesn't count. I'm trying to get out there and re-educate on how the government works and break that myth and talk about the importance of being involved.

If they had taught a class on how to be the kind of citizen Dick Cheney worries about, I would have finished high school.

I always preach that you have to be active as a citizen no matter what, and some people just voting as an excuse not to do anything.

As a citizen, you need to know how to be a part of it, how to express yourself - and not just by voting.

I wanted to be what my high-school civics and history teacher thought of as a good American. That automatically involved taking an interest in government.

Government will not fail to employ education, to strengthen its hands, and perpetuate its institutions.

You can study government and politics in school, but the best way to really understand the process is to volunteer your time.

I think politics is important. It's how we run our society. I think it should be natural to have an interest in the subject, and I almost don't understand why some people don't.

A constitutional democracy is in serious trouble if its citizenry does not have a certain degree of education and civic virtue.

I believe that engaging in the political process is part of being a good person.