George Will Quotes About Democracy

Quotes about: Democracy

• The case for democracy is not esthetic.

  George Will

  Democracy, Internet, Free Speech

• The essence of constitutionalism in a democracy is not merely to shape and condition the nature of majorities, but also to stipulate that certain things are impermissible, no matter how large and fervent a majority might want them.

  George Will

  Essence, Liberty, Democracy

  George F. Will (2003). “With a Happy Eye, But...: America and the World, 1997--2002”, p.98, Simon and Schuster

• In democracy, as quaintly understood, voters pick their representatives. American democracy increasingly reverses that. Legislative districts are drawn to protect incumbents who, effectively, pick their voters.

  George Will

  Democracy, Voters, Protect

• [The World Trade Center and the Pentagon] have drawn, like gathered lightning, the anger of the enemies of civilization. Those enemies are always out there.... Americans are slow to anger but mighty when angry, and their proper anger now should be alloyed with pride. They are targets because of their virtues-principally democracy, and loyalty to those nations which, like Israel, are embattled salients of our virtues in a still-dangerous world.

  George Will

  Loyalty, Pride, Israel

• Politics in a democracy is transactional: Politicians seek votes by promising to do things for voters, who seek promises in exchange for their votes.

  George Will

  Promise, Democracy, Voters

  "A battle won, but a victory?" by George F. Will, www.washingtonpost.com. March 23, 2010.

• Popularity makes no law invulnerable to invalidation. Americans accept judicial supervision of their democracy - judicial review of popular but possibly unconstitutional statutes - because they know that if the Constitution is truly to constitute the nation, it must trump some majority preferences.

  George Will

  Law, Democracy, Majority

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