Gloria Steinem Quotes

Even though I grew up and I didn't always like getting dragged to the meetings or the rallies or the speeches, I developed a very strong respect for participating in a democratic process.

I started out as a 16 year old registering people to vote.

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

Politics is not a spectator sport. You can't just sit on the sidelines.

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

Our constitutional democracy demands our participation, not just every four years, but all the time.

I'm a citizen in a democracy. To call me an activist would be redundant. It's not a spectator sport. If we all become non-participants, it no longer works.

Voting is fundamental in our democracy. It has yielded enormous returns.

Growing up, when we would get dragged to these events, I didn't want to be there. Over time, as we got older, I developed a real appreciation of the importance of being involved in the democratic process.

Our democracy is not something to be taken for granted. You have to fight for it. You have to commit yourself to working for it - for the long haul.

The most important political office is that of the private citizen.

I believe that everyone should participate in democracy and enjoy doing it.

You need to remind people that you vote, you matter, and that they can't succeed without your help.

Do the unexpected. Take 20 minutes out of your day, do what young people all over the world are dying to do: vote.

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.

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.

There can be no daily democracy without daily citizenship.

To make democracy work, we must be a notion of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.

As a citizen of a community, if you never vote or engage, don't be surprised when the outcome doesn't serve your interests; you've never done anything to push things in the right direction.

Voting is a civic sacrament.

Being a citizen in a democracy involves more than just voting. It means being involved for the common whole.

Voting is the first duty of democracy.

The very right to vote imposes on me the duty to instruct myself in public affairs however little influence my voice may have in them.

Democracy is not a spectator sport. It is a difficult, hard, full-contact, participatory endeavor.

I know that my voice and my vote matter and that I can help shape the outcome of events that I care deeply about.