Democracy
Rule by the people, either directly or through representatives, and its strengths and dangers.
Works to read
- Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville, 1835 / 1840 · Great Books
- Second Inaugural Address by Ronald Reagan, 1985
- The Eleven Comedies by Aristophanes, 425-388 BC · Great Books
- On Liberty by John Stuart Mill, 1859 · Great Books
- Chronographia by Michael Psellos, c. 1078
- Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius by Niccolò Machiavelli, c. 1517 (published 1531)
- Lex, Rex by Samuel Rutherford, 1644
- Common Sense, Rights of Man, The Age of Reason, and The American Crisis by Thomas Paine, 1776-1794
- Thoughts on Government and Selected Letters by John Adams, 1776-1826
- A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America by John Adams, 1787-1788
- Chartism by Thomas Carlyle, 1839
- Latter-Day Pamphlets by Thomas Carlyle, 1850
Passages
From the texts
Democracy, he explains, is the government not of the many but of the poor; oligarchy a government not of the few but of the rich.
— Aristotle, Politics
In the estimation of the democracy a government is not a benefit, but a necessary evil.
— Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
Verified quotations
There are three points in the constitution of Solon which appear to be its most democratic features
— Aristotle (attributed), The Athenian Constitution
Were there a people of gods, their government would be democratic. So perfect a government is not for men
— Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract
In a really equal democracy, every or any section would be represented, not disproportionately, but proportionately.
— John Stuart Mill, Considerations on Representative Government
The democracy has made itself master of everything and administers everything by its votes in the Assembly and by the law-courts, in which it holds the supreme power.
— Aristotle (attributed), The Athenian Constitution
Democracy is not dying
— Franklin D. Roosevelt, Third Inaugural Address
The Senate about to assemble will also be Democratic
— Woodrow Wilson, First Inaugural Address
Passages are verified quotations from the library that use one of these words: democracy, democratic, the people. Sentences under “From the texts” are copied word for word from the full texts in this library. Read each in its context on the work's page.