Walter Lippmann Quotes

The way people in democracies think of the government as something different from themselves is a real handicap. And, of course, sometimes the government confirms their opinion.

The freedom to persuade and suggest is the essence of the democratic process.

Opinion and protest are the life breath of democracy—even when it blows heavy.

If we believe in a democratic system, we have to accept the will of the people.

Democracy abhors a vacuum.

We have accepted the principle of democracy and we are committed to respect the popular verdict and the result of that national consultation.

In a democracy, dissent is an act of faith.

Voting is the foundational act that breathes life into the principle of the consent of the governed.

[Describing America:] Public opinion, which is there omnipotent, is generally right in its aims ...

This is a democracy, not a dictatorship. Polls give candidates a method to find out what voters want.

In democracies the people seem to act as they please.

If we could, somehow, get a vote of the people of Tennessee and have it result properly, it would be worth more to us than a battle gained. How long before we can get such a vote?

It is not suffrage that gives life to democracy; it is our democratic society that gives life to suffrage.

Democracy is messy, and it's hard. It's never easy.

However flawed democracy is, it is still the only answer.

This is democracy: the citizens can vote anyone to power.

I am a firm believer in the importance of democracy, not only as the ultimate goal, but also as an essential part of the process.

We should never take democracy for granted. Democracy can emerge and develop, but it can also decay.

Democracy is finding proximate solutions to insoluble problems.

Decision making in a democracy depends above all on knowledge and not just the intel available to presidents and policymakers.

The court makes an amazing amount of decisions that ought to be made by the people.

I do not want the voice of the people shut out.

Democracy consists of choosing your dictators, after they've told you what you think it is you want to hear.

If a man went simply by what he saw, he might be tempted to affirm that the essence of democracy is melodrama.

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