Julian Castro Quotes

Our democracy is not something to be taken for granted. You have to fight for it. You have to commit yourself to working for it - for the long haul.

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

Political involvement is more than a game.

I've become more of a citizen and more of an activist.

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

I just want people to know that if they want to change the direction of the country, they can do it, but only if they're active, informed, and engaged.

I started out as a 16 year old registering people to vote.

I can't imagine myself outside any kind of social or political involvement.

Our constitutional democracy demands our participation, not just every four years, but all the time.

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.

I became active in politics because I saw the possibility, if we all sat back and did nothing, of a world in which there would no longer be any stages for actors to act on.

Growing up, when we would get dragged to these events, I didn't want to be there. Over time, as we got older, I developed a real appreciation of the importance of being involved in the democratic process.

The most important political office is that of the private citizen.

Whenever anybody gets involved in politics, its always exciting for me because we take for granted our freedoms and our abilities to effect change through political activism.

Politics are close to me, but there are different ways of participating in politics.

You need to remind people that you vote, you matter, and that they can't succeed without your help.

Someone who does an act. In a democratic society, you're supposed to be an activist; that is, you participate. It could be a letter written to an editor.

Crucially, I'd like to thank Labour party members up and down the country for sticking with us. For their active citizenship, their willingness to engage in our democracy, and for being there at the cutting edge of making our democracy work.

Women risked their lives for the right to vote. When I hear people say, 'Oh, I'm not gonna vote,' I just wanna tear their heart out.

I feel a real responsibility to my community and so right now there has been this bizarre myth in our community how our vote doesn't count. I'm trying to get out there and re-educate on how the government works and break that myth and talk about the importance of being involved.

In general people feel more relaxed about participating in politics. They aren't frightened as they used to be.

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.

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.

Well, I couldn't do the day-to-day stuff of being a politician or anything, but I just think everybody should have an opinion and everybody should vote, and that's what we're built on.