Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment on this quoteShare via Email Print this Page Daily Quotes Archives2004-10-30 Oct 29, 2004[O]ur sages in the great [constitutional] convention... intended our government should be a republic which differs more widely from a democracy than a democracy from a despotism. The rigours of a despotism often... oppress only a few, but it is the very essence and nature of a democracy, for a faction claiming to oppress a minority, and that minority the chief owners of the property and truest lovers of their country.~ Fisher AmesThe merit of our Constitution was, not that it promotes democracy, but checks it.~ Horatio SeymourIt does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.~ Samuel Adams Oct 28, 2004To govern according to the sense and agreement of the interests of the people is a great and glorious object of governance. This object cannot be obtained but through the medium of popular election, and popular election is a mighty evil.~ Edmund BurkeDemocracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!~ Benjamin FranklinDemocracy is a form of government that substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.~ George Bernard Shaw Oct 27, 2004Vote: The instrument and symbol of a free man's power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country.~ Ambrose BierceThe best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.~ Sir Winston ChurchillWhen I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President; I'm beginning to believe it.~ Clarence S. Darrow Oct 26, 2004The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of Conservatives is to prevent mistakes from being corrected. Even when the revolutionist might himself repent of his revolution, the traditionalist is already defending it as part of his tradition. Thus we have two great types -- the advanced person who rushes us into ruin, and the retrospective person who admires the ruins. He admires them especially by moonlight, not to say moonshine. Each new blunder of the progressive or prig becomes instantly a legend of immemorial antiquity for the snob. This is called the balance, or mutual check, in our Constitution.~ Gilbert Keith Chesterton Oct 25, 2004The great thing about democracy is that it gives every voter a chance to do something stupid.~ Art SpanderThe Party System was founded on one national notion of fair play. It was the notion that folly and futility should be fairly divided between both sides.~ Gilbert Keith ChestertonUnder democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule -- and both commonly succeed, and are right.~ H. L. Mencken Previous week's quotes Next week's quotes Share on Facebook Tweet Email Print