The rule of majority does not mean that it should suppress the opinion of even an individual, if it is sound. An individual’s opinion should have greater weight than the opinion of many, if that opinion is sound on merits. That is my view of real democracy.
Democracy Quotes
Democracy is a process, not a static condition. It is becoming, rather than being. It can easily be lost, but never is fully won. Its essence is eternal struggle.
There is no force so democratic as the force of an ideal.
True democracy is not inconsistent with a few persons representing the spirit, the hope and the aspirations of those whom they claim to represent. I hold that democracy cannot be evolved by forcible methods. The spirit of democracy cannot be imposed from without. It has to come from within.
It is a besetting vice of democracies to substitute public opinion for law. This is the usual form in which masses of men exhibit their tyranny.
The very essence of democracy is that every person represents all the varied interests which compose the nation. It is true that it does not exclude and should not exclude special representation of special interests, but such representation is not its test. It is a sign of its imperfection.
The tendency of democracies is, in all things, to mediocrity.
In the true democracy of India the unit is the village… True democracy cannot be worked by twenty men sitting at the centre. It has to be worked from below by the people of every village.
The principal advantage of a democracy, is a general elevation in the character of the people.
Surely, timidity has no place in democracy, where people in general believe in and want a particular thing. Their representatives have but to give shape to their demand and make it feasible. A favorable mental attitude of the multitude has been found to go a long way in winning battles.
