„Freedom can never be completely safeguarded by rules and laws. It is as much dependent on the courage, integrity, and responsibility of each of us as it is on these qualities in those who govern. Every trait in us and our leaders which points to passive submission to mere power betrays democratic freedom. In our American system of democratic government, three different powerful branches serve to check each other, the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary. Yet when there is no will to prevent encroachment of the power of one by any of the others, this system of checks, too, can degenerate.“
Joost A.M. MeerlooJoost A.M. Meerloo explains why freedom requires more than laws: courage, responsibility, and vigilance are the true pillars of democracy.
This quote reminds us that true freedom requires more than laws – it thrives through active courage, responsibility, and vigilance of both citizens and their leaders.
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Copyright © yoice.net – Quote Artwork"A people that is governed by a power must know the power by which it is governed. The people must direct and control that power. They must step in when it commits crimes; otherwise, the people become accomplices. The foundation of democracy is popular sovereignty, not the authority of a paternalistic state. It is not the citizen who stands in a relationship of obedience to the government; rather, the government is accountable to the citizen for its actions within the framework of the law. The citizen has the right and the duty to call the government to order if he believes that democratic rights are being violated."
Dr. Gustav Heinemann
Copyright © yoice.net – Quote Artwork"The threat to freedom in Germany does not come with violence and noise, but rather quietly. It comes with all sorts of justifications, often well-intentioned ones. For example, when it comes to civil rights. In times when we are all concerned about the threat of terrorism, when we all naturally have to do everything we can for our citizens so that they can live happy lives unharmed. In times like these, parties and politicians come along and say, 'Now is the time to once again gradually reduce civil rights, which always bother us a little anyway. Freedom always dies inch by inch, as Karl Herrman Flach once put it. And freedom does not die because of politicians, it does not die because politicians want to restrict civil rights and liberties, but rather it becomes dangerous for freedom when citizens forget their own immune system, which must arm them against any threat to freedom. And for me, that is the decisive self-image of our party. That we say: For us, the citizen comes first and then the state. Other parties trust the state first and only then trust the citizens. Under the pretext of creating security, every civil right can be called into question. Under the pretext that security requires it, every tightening of the law can be decided. We fight this wherever we can, in the federal government, in parliament, but ladies and gentlemen, we also need the citizens. We also need self-confident citizens who do not accept the statement: “If you have nothing to hide, you should not complain.” No, we want a nation of self-confident citizens, not subjects of the state."
Guido Westerwelle
Copyright © yoice.net – Quote Artwork"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
Copyright © yoice.net – Quote Artwork"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.
From time to time we've been tempted to believe, that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people.
Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else?
All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden.
The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price."
Ronald Reagan
Copyright © yoice.net – Quote Artwork"Without an unfettered press, without liberty of speech, all of the outward forms and structures of free institutions are a sham, a pretense — the sheerest mockery. If the press is not free; if speech is not independent and untrammeled; if the mind is shackled or made impotent through fear, it makes no difference under what form of government you live, you are a subject and not a citizen"
William E. Borah
Copyright © yoice.net – Quote Artwork"Our revolution was the first in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of government – and that with three little words: "We the People." "We the People" tell the government what to do; it doesn't tell us. "We the People" are the driver; the government is the car. And we decide where it should go, by what route, and how fast. Almost all the world's constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution, however, is a document in which "We the People" tell the government what it may do. "We the People" are free. This belief has been the foundation for everything I've tried to achieve in the past eight years. But in the 1960s, when I began, it seemed to me we had begun to reverse the order of things. Through more and more rules, regulations, and crushing taxes, the government took more of our money, more choices, and more freedom. I went into politics to raise my hand and say "Stop!" I was a citizen, a politician by conviction – and it seemed the right thing to do. I think we have stopped much of what needed to be stopped. And I hope we have reminded people that man is not free if government has no limits. There is a clear connection here, as clear and predictable as a law of nature: As government grows, liberty shrinks."
Ronald Reagan
Copyright © yoice.net – Quote Artwork
Copyright © yoice.net – Quote Artwork
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