Timothy Thomas Fortune Quotes

Democracy forever teases us with the contrast between its ideals and its realities, between its heroic possibilities and its sorry achievements.

What are the American ideals? They are the development of the individual for his own and the common good; the development of the individual through liberty; and the attainment of the common good through democracy and social justice.

Democracy matters because it reflects an idea of equality and an idea of liberty. It reflects an idea of dignity, the dignity of the individual, the idea that each individual should have an equal vote, an equal say, in the formation of their government.

This is not about being liberal. This is not about being conservative. This is about making sure our government works for all Americans.

I am sure that every one of my colleagues - Democrat, Republican, and Independent - agrees with that statement. That in the voting booth, every one is equal.

A democratic home is the foundation of a democratic state.

We are thus brought to a conception of Democracy not merely as a sentiment which desires the well-being of all men, nor yet as a creed which believes in the essential dignity and equality of all men, but as that which affords a rule of living as well as a test of faith.

Democracy does not race, it reaches the finish slowly but surely.

Democracy is moral before it is political.

The beauty of democracy is that an average, random, unremarkable citizen can lead it.

To say a democracy prospers only if one set of voices is heard would be untrue.

There are a couple of ways to use the word democracy, and the way that I think is productive is to think about democracy as not a state that can actually be achieved, but as an ideal.

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.

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.

Democracy must learn to defend itself.

I did not want my tombstone to read, 'She kept a really clean house.' I think I'd like them to remember me by saying, 'She opened government to everyone.'

My view is that good community management is like having good municipal government: You should be able to have dissenting opinions and so on, freedom of speech, but your grandmother should also be able to walk down the street at night without having to worry about getting mugged.

The rights of democracy are not reserved for a select group within society, they are the rights of all the people.

Democracy is a device that insures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.

I feel good because I believe I have made progress in rebuilding the people's trust in their government.

Democracy is not about one party dominating.

There is an idea of democracy produced by one-sided thinking.

In other words, the bar should be maintained at the level of a pluralistic and participatory democracy.

And in Canada we, you know, it costs us three or $400 million to have an election. You know, it's always been my position that we shouldn't complain about that; that's the price of admission for a living in a great democracy.