Helen Thomas Quotes

Democracy in the contemporary world demands, among other things, an educated and informed people.

Journalism still, in a democracy, is the essential force to get the public educated and mobilized to take action on behalf of our ancient ideals.

Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.

Reading builds the educated and informed electorate so vital to our democracy.

A popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or perhaps both ... And a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power that knowledge gives.

A democracy depends on its people, the literate and the well read.

Democracy requires an informed citizenry able to question its government.

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

The way you get democracy to function is by informing the public.

Democracy doesn't work unless the public is informed.

Convinced that the people are the only safe depositories of their own liberty, and that they are not safe unless enlightened to a certain degree, I have looked on our present state of liberty as a short-lived possession unless the mass of the people could be informed to a certain degree.

In a democracy you cannot stop public access to that art that will most misinform the people. You cannot stop people from being misinformed. But what you can do is to educate the people to the point that they will throw the rascals out.

In our country we must trust the people to hear and see both the good and the bad and to choose the good.

The survival of democracy depends on the ability of large numbers of people to make realistic choices in the light of adequate information.

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.

Democracy doesn't require a whole lot of work of its citizens, but it requires some: It requires taking a good look outside once in a while, and considering the bad news and what it might mean, and making the occasional tough choice, and soberly taking stock of what your real interests are.

Widespread public access to knowledge, like public education, is one of the pillars of our democracy, a guarantee that we can maintain a well-informed citizenry.

Democracy is interactive... It's a constant job of information, education, explanation, listening, and interactive communication.

And in a democracy, when we say we're mad at what's going on, what we need to be saying is we're mad at ourselves.

Without an educated populace, democracy cannot sustain itself.

I want people to learn what democracy means.

You have citizens who don't understand how government works and they're kind of soured on it. All they do is criticize. They have no idea that they can make things happen.

I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education.

Free and open communications is the best guarantee of democracy.

We live inside a democracy, and you know, public will matters in a democracy. I just hope it's informed public will, and frankly, when the decisions are made, you understand the costs.