John Dewey Quotes

Good citizenship and defending democracy means living up to the ideals and values that make this country great.

In a democracy, the individual enjoys not only the ultimate power but carries the ultimate responsibility.

The values and voices of democracy are silent. Either we have lost touch with those values or, no better, believe they need not or cannot be taught.

Democracy means not merely, I had almost said not so much, the rights of the whole people, as the duties of the whole people.

Democracy is itself, a religious faith. For some it comes close to being the only formal religion they have.

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.

Democracy is the most demanding of all forms of government in terms of the energy, imagination, and public spirit required of the individual.

For me democracy is the only way of life. The opposite is dictatorship or anarchy.

I'm such a sap for democracy and politics that I get weepy when I see anybody voting.

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

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.

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

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.

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

You are never wrong when you have voted because you've acted in accordance with your conscience and your beliefs, and you've exercised your democratic right, which is, you know, perfectly legitimate in our democracies.

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

Balancing the common good with the freedom and liberty to exercise that individuality has been and remains a challenge for those committed to democracy while understanding that the polis ensures our participation and therefore our citizenship.

I grew up in Minnesota, where we treasure our tradition of civic engagement - and our record of having the nation's highest voter participation.

There can be no daily democracy without daily citizenship.

The right of a minority is so important in a democracy.

We, as citizens, are the true owners of government.

The whole idea of a democracy is that we ourselves, the people, are supposed to make a path of our politics, and it is we who with our feet and our vote and our labors and our vigilance are supposed to shape our country.

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

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