Margrethe Vestager Quotes

This is essential that we have a resurgence in democratic participation. And I don't mean big-D Democrat, I mean small-D democrat. I mean getting involved in your neighborhood, your community. This is no time to say, "I'm not into politics." This is a time to go headlong into the welfare of this nation.

Technology and social media have brought power back to the people.

A short exposure to the convention convinced me that the Internet may save the Democracy in that it is a way for the people, for the citizens, to have some direct influence on the government.

The Internet has brought democracy to so many other things. It's about time the Internet brought democracy to democracy.

If the people of America do not rise up, take ownership of our country, we're going to lose it forever.

Without the political parties and the volunteering work of their members day in, day out, we would have a very different sort of politics and society.

Industrial capitalism brought representative democracy, but with a weak public mandate and inert citizenry. The digital age offers a new democracy based on public deliberation and active citizenship.

We're prepared to place our trust in the people to reshape the government. Our liberal friends place their trust in the government to reshape the people.

Politics in America is moving from representative politics to interactive politics.

I've always believed in speaking my mind, and I think the technology has made it more prominent. Even a common man's voice is heard prominently now, much to the chagrin and surprise of politicians. They aren't used to that.

I think I bring a perspective that local communities are what make this country great, and they are the laboratories of democracy.

What I was excited about was the opportunity for punters to be part of politics. The whole idea was to allow the voices of people outside this weirdo palace of Westminster to be heard. I thought the whole social media thing might be really positive.

If in a democratic country nothing can be permanently achieved save through the masses of the people, it will be impossible to establish a higher political life than the people themselves crave.

Democracy depends on people speaking out, and in times of great crisis, on people creating a commotion.

The era of big government is over, but the era of big challenge is not. We need an era of big citizenship. There are many important people at this summit, but the most important title is 'citizen.' This is our republic. Let us keep it!

But, Jefferson worried that the people - and the argument goes back to Thucydides and Aristotle - are easily misled. He also stressed, passionately and repeatedly, that it was essential for the people to understand the risks and benefits of government, to educate themselves, and to involve themselves in the political process. Without that, he said, the wolves will take over.

Democracy is not a good that people can enjoy without trouble. It is, on the contrary, a treasure that must be daily defended and conquered anew by strenuous effort.

As a society, we haven't spent as much time building the citizen Internet.

Most Americans aren't the sort of citizens the Founding Fathers expected; they are contented serfs. Far from being active critics of government, they assume that its might makes it right.

I believe that voting is the first act of building a community as well as building a country.

India is at the vanguard of figuring out how to exploit technology and innovation on behalf of democratic accountability.

You either have a civil society or you don't.

In a democracy there are only two types of power: there's organized people and organized money, and organized money only wins when people aren't organized.

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

I would just like to say something, ladies and gentlemen. Something that I think is very important. It is that, you, we - we own this country. We - we own it. It is not you owning it, and not politicians owning it. Politicians are employees of ours.