My thinking tends to be libertarian. That is, I oppose intrusions of the state into the private realm--as in abortion, sodomy, pro...stitution, pornography, drug use, or suicide, all of which I would strongly defend as matters of free choice in a representative democracy.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
It is not true that democracy will always safeguard freedom of conscience better than autocracy. Witness the most famous of all tr...ials. Pilate was, from the standpoint of the Jews, certainly the representative of autocracy. Yet he tried to protect freedom. And he yielded to a democracy.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
A certain secret jealousy of the British Minister is always lurking in the breast of every American Senator, if he is truly democr...atic; for democracy, rightly understood, is the government of the people, by the people, for the benefit of Senators, and there is always a danger that the British Minister may not understand this political principle as he should.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
It was the feeling of a passenger on an ocean steamer whose mind will not give him rest until he has been in the engine-room and t...alked with the engineer. She wanted to see with her own eyes the action of primary forces; to touch with her own eyes the action of primary forces; to touch with her own hand the massive machinery of society; to measure with her own mind the capacity of the motive power. She was bent upon getting to the heart of the great American mystery of democracy and government.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
But also the constituency determines the vote of the representative. He is not only representative, but participant. Like can only... be known by like. The reason why he knows about them is, that he is of them; he has just come out of nature, or from being a part of the thing.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
I never could get on with representative individuals--but people who existed on their own account and with whom it might therefore... be possible to be friends.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
I have been made to believe in this democracy thing, and I am all for tasting this democracy out. The flavor must be good. If the ...Occident is so intent in keeping the taste out of darker mouths that it spends all those billions and expends all those billions and expends all those millions of lives, colored ones too, to keep it among themselves, then it must be something good. I crave to sample this gorgeous thing. So I cannot say anything different from repeal of all Jim Crow laws! Not in some future generation, but repeal now and forever!!LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »