Democracy | Some revealing quotes

"If I may be completely honest, I always think what an accident it was that this woman became Foreign Minister. Under normal conditions, she wouldn't even have gotten an internship at the Foreign Office. That someone with this moral fervor tries to explain to a class representative of a world power, a cultural nation, what Western values are, defines them as systemic rivals and virtually paints an escalation scenario on the wall, a values-led foreign policy that is in fact a confrontation-led foreign policy, instead of simply baking small rolls and saying to herself: 'As long as we are economically successful in Germany, the Chinese will take us seriously, lock, stock and barrel.'" Richard David Precht

"If a man is my servant, agent, or attorney, I necessarily make myself responsible for all his acts done within the limits of the power I have intrusted to him. If I have intrusted him, as my agent, with either absolute power, or any power at all, over the persons or properties of other men than myself, I thereby necessarily make myself responsible to those other persons for any injuries he may do them, so long as he acts within the limits of the power I have granted him. But no individual who may be injured in his person or property, by acts of Congress, can come to the individual electors, and hold them responsible for these acts of their so-called agents or representatives. This fact proves that these pretended agents of the people, of everybody, are really the agents of nobody." Lysander Spooner

"Majorities, as such, afford no guarantees for justice. They are men of the same nature as minorities. They have the same passions for fame, power, and money, as minorities; and are liable and likely to be equally - perhaps more than equally, because more boldly - rapacious, tyrannical and unprincipled, if intrusted with power." Lysander Spooner

"It has long been obvious in the Western tribal countries of democracy that the promises inherent in this concept will probably remain unfulfilled: Politics is losing ground dramatically to the power of the markets; supposedly democratic systems are firmly in the hands of powerfully organized interests and have less and less to do with popular sovereignty - if there ever was any. Social inequality and the disenfranchisement and reification of citizens as mere administrative objects or human resources are advancing inexorably - though every step of disenfranchisement is communicated as emancipatory gain." Ingolfur Blühdorn

"The form of constitution that replaced feudalism and absolutism was democracy; the form of government, plutocracy. Today, democracy is a façade of plutocracy: since nations would not tolerate a pure form of plutocracy, they were granted nominal powers, while the real power rests in the hands of plutocrats. In republican as well as monarchical democracies, the statesmen are puppets, the capitalists are the puppeteers; they dictate the guidelines of politics, rule through purchase the public opinion of the voters, and through professional and social relationships, the ministers. Instead of the feudal structure of society, the plutocratic stepped in; birth is no more the decisive factor for social rank, but income is. Today's plutocracy is mightier than yesterday's aristocracy: because nobody is above it but the state, which is its tool and helper's helper. When there was still true blood nobility, the system of aristocracy by birth was fairer than that of the moneyed aristocracy today: because then the ruling caste had a sense of responsibility, culture and tradition, whereas the class that rules today is barren of feelings of responsibility, culture or tradition." Richard Nikolaus Coudenhove-Kalergi

"He who has once begun to live by robbery will always find pretexts for seizing what belongs to others." Niccolò Machiavelli

"Democracy is not freedom. Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to eat for lunch. Freedom comes from the recognition of certain rights which may not be taken, not even by a 99% vote." Marvin Simkin

"A 'war against X' decreed from above - be it against 'terror' or against a pandemic - is never about what is declared to be fought. All that is sold here as a war against a threat must not be successful at all, because its success for the economic and political centers of power lies precisely in not being successful and in remaining as a means of generating fear and securing domination." Prof. Reiner Mausfeld

"All power is robbery and all its justification is pure ideology." Niccolò Machiavelli

"Unfortunately, it is a typical German trait to think that obedience par excellence is a virtue. We need the civil courage to say 'no'." Fritz Bauer

"Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason." Mark Twain

"It is a great consolation in elections that only one of several candidates can be elected!" Mark Twain

"If voting made any difference they wouldn't let us do it" Mark Twain

"If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, it is now possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without them knowing it." Edward Bernays