As citizens of this democracy, you are the rulers and the ruled, the law-givers and the law-abiding, the beginning and the end. Democracy is a high privilege, but it is also a heavy responsibility whose shadow stalks, although you may never walk in the sun.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Defines democracy as a shared burden of power and responsibility for all citizens.
- In plain terms
- In democracy, everyone rules and is ruled, which is a big job not always visible.
- What can you take from it?
- Democracy requires active participation from every citizen.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you fulfill your role in democracy?
- Is leadership visible or invisible?
Another view
Some citizens prefer delegating responsibility to representatives.
More from Adlai Stevenson
In America any boy may become President, and I suppose it's just one of the risks he takes.
Permalink to quote #21 Nature is indifferent to the survival of the human species, including Americans.
Permalink to quote #23 We can chart our future clearly and wisely only when we know the path which has led to the present.
Permalink to quote #20
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