Citizenry Quotes

• Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds wide awake and a basic understanding of how the world works.

  Carl Sagan

  Education, Atheist, Thinking

  Carl Sagan (2011). “Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark”, p.430, Ballantine Books

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• Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.

  Thomas Jefferson

  Trust, Freedom, Educational

  Thomas Jefferson, Jerry Holmes (2002). “Thomas Jefferson: A Chronology of His Thoughts”, p.106, Rowman & Littlefield

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• The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry.

  William F. Buckley, Jr.

  Freedom, Government, Democracy

  "WindFall: The End of the Affair". Book by William F. Buckley Jr., 1992.

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• If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.

  Thomas Jefferson

  Education, Freedom, War

  Letter to Colonel Charles Yancey, 6 January 1816

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• Let us hope our weapons are never needed - but do not forget what the common people of this nation knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny.

  Edward Abbey

  Military, Gun, Rights

  "Abbey's Road". Book by Edward Abbey, 1979.

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• When the three branches of government have failed to represent the citizenry and the mass of the media has failed to represent the citizenry, then the citizenry better represent the citizenry.

  David Mamet

  Media, Government, Branches

  "David Mamet's Conservative Conversion". "Hannity" with Sean Hannity, www.foxnews.com. July 8, 2011.

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• An informed citizenry is the only true repository of the public will.

  Thomas Jefferson

  Informed Citizens, Informed Citizenry

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• Tyranny is defined as that which is legal for the government but illegal for the citizenry.

  Unknown

  Government, Liberty, Libertarian

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• We believe that an informed citizenry will act for life and not for death.

  Albert Einstein

  Life, Business, Believe

  Albert Einstein (2017). “Einstein on Peace”, p.589, Pickle Partners Publishing

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• In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

  Dwight D. Eisenhower

  Military, Farewell, Government

  Farewell radio and television address to the American people, 17 Jan. 1961

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• We are citizens of the world. The tragedy of our times is that we do not know this.

  Woodrow Wilson

  Presidential, Tragedy, Citizens

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• Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor.

  William Shakespeare

  War, Patriotic, Order

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• Democracy functions best when we have an active citizenry.

  Rick Perry

  Democracy, Function, Active

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• Only a knowledgeable, empowered and vocal citizenry can perform well in democracy.

  David Brin

  Political, Empowering, Democracy

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• Higher education is confronting challenges, like the economy is, about the need for a higher number of more adequately trained, more highly educated citizenry.

  Margaret Spellings

  Education, Numbers, Challenges

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• Even institutions of State, such as the judiciary, were seriously weakened, to the extent that the citizenry justifiably feared a breakdown in law and order. The business community was hit by a slump in sales and confidence, leading to reduced earnings and loss of jobs.

  Kamisese Mara

  Confidence, Jobs, Loss

  Report to President Ganilau, May 15, 1992.

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• You can make more money on unemployment than you can going down and getting one of those jobs that is an honest job, but it doesn't pay as much. And so, that's what's happened to us is that we have put in so much entitlement into our government, that we really have spoiled our citizenry and said you don't want the jobs that are available.

  Sharron Angle

  Jobs, Government, Unemployment

  "Rachel Maddow Show", www.today.com. June 30, 2010.

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• Government can contribute to a shared sense of purpose on the part of the citizenry; that's its highest and best application.

  William Weld

  Government, Purpose, Application

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• The rope by which the great blocks of taxes are attached to any citizenry is simple loyalty.

  Stephen King

  Loyalty, Block, Simple

  Stephen King (1988). “The eyes of the dragon: a story”, Egully.com

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• A constitutional democracy is in serious trouble if its citizenry does not have a certain degree of education and civic virtue.

  Phillip E. Johnson

  Democracy, Degrees, Doe

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• Lawsuits - and frivolous lawsuits - are just sapping the life out of the people who perform the services and deliver the goods for the rest of the citizenry in the State of Montana.

  Conrad Burns

  People, Montana, States

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• Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.

  George Orwell

  Witty, Peace, Truth

  "Politics and the English Language" (1946)

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• If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin.

  Samuel Adams

  Country, Patriotic, Men

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• I'm not interested in anybody's guilt. Guilt is a luxury that we can no longer afford. I know you didn't do it, and I didn't do it either, but I am responsible for it because I am a man and a citizen of this country and you are responsible for it, too, for the very same reason... Anyone who is trying to be conscious must begin to dismiss the vocabulary which we've used so long to cover it up, to lie about the way things are.

  James A. Baldwin

  Country, Lying, Responsibility

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• We have put in so much entitlement into our government that we really have spoiled our citizenryand said, you don't want the jobs that are available.

  Sharron Angle

  Jobs, Government, Want

  "Sharron Angle in No Spin Zone". www.foxnews.com. September 15, 2010.

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