This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.
The task of democracy is to relive mass misery and yet preserve the freedom of the individual.
Democracy | Freedom | Individual |
Arthur Meier Schlesinger, Jr., born Arthur Bancroft Schlesinger
The first rule of democracy is to distrust all leaders who begin to believe their own publicity.
Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, known as Dean Stanley
Insist on reading the great books, on marking the great events of the world. Then the little books can take care of themselves, and the trivial incidents of passing politics and diplomacy may perish with the using.
Books | Care | Diplomacy | Events | Little | Politics | Reading | World |
When Abraham Lincoln was a young man he ran for the Legislature in Illinois and was badly swamped. Next he entered business, failed and spent seventeen years of his life paying up the debts of a worthless partner. He was in love with a beautiful young woman to whom he became engagedand then, she died. Later he married a woman who was a constant burden to him. Entering politics again, he was badly defeated for Congress. He failed to get an appointment to the U.S. Land Office. He was badly defeated for the U.S. Senate. In 1856 he became a candidate for the Vice-Presidency and was again defeated. In 1858 he was defeated by Douglas. One failure after another, bad failures, great setbacks. In the face of all this he eventually became one of the country's greatest men, if not the greatest. When you think of a series of setbacks like this, doesn't it make you feel small to become discouraged, just because you think that you're having a hard time in life?
Business | Failure | Land | Life | Life | Love | Man | Men | Office | Politics | Time | Woman | Failure | Think |
Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield
In politics nothing is contemptible.
Bertrand Russell, fully Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell
Nine times out of ten a man’s politics can be predicted from the way in which he makes his living.
Ideas are great arrows, but there has to be a bow. And politics is the bow of idealism.
Bertrand Russell, fully Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell
A fanatical belief in democracy makes democratic institutions impossible.
Bertrand Russell, fully Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell
If one man offers you democracy and another offers you a bag of grain, at what stage of starvation will you prefer the grain to the vote?
David Ben-Gurion, born David Grün
The test of democracy is freedom of criticism.
Dwight Eisenhower, fully Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower
Human dignity, economic freedom, individual responsibility, these are the characteristics that distinguish democracy from all other forms devised by man.
Democracy | Dignity | Distinguish | Freedom | Individual | Man | Responsibility |
Magnanimity in politics is not seldom the truest wisdom; and a great empire and little minds go ill together.
Little | Magnanimity | Politics | Wisdom |
Franklin D. Roosevelt, fully Franklin Delano Roosevelt, aka FDR
Freedom of conscience, of education, of speech, of assembly are among the very fundamentals of democracy and all of them would be nullified should freedom of the press ever be successfully challenged.
Conscience | Democracy | Education | Freedom of conscience | Freedom | Speech |
Frédéric Bastiat, fully Claude Frédéric Bastiat
A science of economics must be developed before a science of politics can be logically formulated. Essentially, economics is the science of determining whether the interests of human beings are harmonious or antagonistic. This must be known before a science of politics can be formulated to determine the proper functions of government.
Economics | Government | Politics | Science |