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About this quote

What does it mean?
Democracy is difficult to sustain because it requires people to take risks with freedom, reason, dissent, and truth.
In plain terms
Democracy is hard to keep because people must accept risks and disagreement.
What can you take from it?
Democracy requires tolerance for dissent and the risk of freedom.

Where it applies

  • governance
  • political science
  • civic education

Putting it to work

  • civic education
  • voting rights
  • protecting dissent

Questions to consider

  • What risks does freedom require?
  • Why is dissent necessary?

Another view

It assumes that allowing dissent leads to truth rather than chaos.

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