Saikat Chakrabarti Quotes

Political involvement is more than a game.

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.

Our future cannot depend on the government alone. The ultimate solutions lie in the attitudes and the actions of the American people.

The whole idea of a democracy is that we ourselves, the people, are supposed to make a path of our politics, and it is we who with our feet and our vote and our labors and our vigilance are supposed to shape our country.

I expect we will become more demanding as citizens.

Our democracy... is only as good as the American people demand it should be.

When things happen socially in our community, as artists, we've got the right to exercise our voices if we choose to, use our powers for good.

I think we need to raise our voices, and we need to demonstrate to the people we represent, as well as the American people, that their leaders have a responsibility to take action.

Politics for me is not business but a movement of which I am happy to be a part.

We need leaders who are willing to stand up, drive the debate, and commit our fellow citizens to action.

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

By voting, we add our voice to the chorus that forms opinions and the basis for actions.

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.

Democracy is not a spectator sport, it's a participatory event. If we don't participate in it, it ceases to be a democracy.

As citizens of a free society, we have a duty to look critically at our world. But if we think we know what is wrong, we must act upon that knowledge.

If enough people would come out the right wing, the extremists couldn't dominate.

Obama used to be a community organizer. He knows how to build communities.

I think we should focus more, rather than less, on mobilising the middle classes. They often have a bit of time and money to contribute to change.

An activist is one who is actively involved in creating community, whether that is locally in their neighborhood or internationally. It is an admirable quality.

I value public service and I'm relatively good at organizing political causes.

I think we're going to start to see a new model of civic advocacy where people get together once in a while to protest, but it's more about an ongoing, sustained engagement in issues, networks and communities about which people care.

There are many ways of encouraging people to make life better other than joining a political party. Politics with a small 'p' isn't just about darkened committee rooms, endless meetings - it is about giving people the right to make decisions about our lives.

There are three critical ingredients to democratic renewal and progressive change in America: good public policy, grassroots organizing and electoral politics.

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

We cannot safely leave politics to politicians, or political economy to college professors.