Tony Benn Quotes

I always preach that you have to be active as a citizen no matter what, and some people just voting as an excuse not to do anything.

As a citizen of a community, if you never vote or engage, don't be surprised when the outcome doesn't serve your interests; you've never done anything to push things in the right direction.

The role of citizen in our democracy does not end with your vote.

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.

I'm a citizen in a democracy. To call me an activist would be redundant. It's not a spectator sport. If we all become non-participants, it no longer works.

Only a knowledgeable, empowered and vocal citizenry can perform well in democracy.

There can be no daily democracy without daily citizenship.

I do feel, in a sense, the rules of engagement for citizenship has changed, and we must encourage other people to speak up and to take action.

As a citizen, you need to know how to be a part of it, how to express yourself - and not just by voting.

Influence elected government officials, don't just elect them. Your right is to govern yourselves, not just to choose your governors.

Politics is not a spectator sport. You can't just sit on the sidelines.

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

Being a citizen in a democracy involves more than just voting. It means being involved for the common whole.

I want Americans to realize that we are the owners of this country, and that one person can make a difference.

It seems to me that any reason for people getting more active in running or taking part in politics and government I think is just terrific.

If you sit back and simply allow your country to be, it is highly unlikely to be the kind of country you want. You have to be active.

I ask you to find your voice and use it not only to choose your elected officials but to shape the issues that will shape our lives.

I think it doesn't actually matter what your political persuasion is, but if you are interested in the country that you live in and the way in which it's run, everyone has to do something about that.

I think it's very important for everyone in America to realize right now the state of our country, not just on this issue but on a lot of issues, that it is time to get active again. People have just sat back and just sort of said, oh, let somebody else do it for a long time, and we're seeing what's happening to the country, even freedom of speech. It's not going well. So I think this is a real opportunity for people to see, yes, if you do get out and you do get active, there are other people there. You just have to seek them out.

It is not good enough to say, "Well, hey, I vote every two years. I vote every four years." That's fine, but that is not good enough.

I think one of the core ideas in America has always been conversation and being able to question our systems of government, and being able to dictate our own communities and how we want this country to work. And I feel like we're losing part of that because of the way that even our current political campaign is centered more around celebrity than anything else, and so we're kind of losing conversation. We're still having conversations, but they seem to be more about like Donald Trump's hair and like memes of his face more than anything else.

I always say there's no ticket of admission for active citizenship. Anybody can get through that gate, and anybody can ask that basic question that gets the ball rolling.

As for being a voice in politics, I feel whether you are famous or not, busy or not, it's incumbent upon every citizen to participate in this government in any way we can.

Voting isn't the most we can do. But it is the least.

Voting is easy and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for democracy, which requires direct action by concerned citizens.