Quote

1947·London, England

Many forms of Government have been tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time; but there is the broad feeling in our country that the people should rule, continuously rule, and that public opinion, expressed by all constitutional means, should shape, guide, and control the actions of Ministers who are their servants and not their masters.

Read the full speech→Speech to the House of Commons, 11 November 1947

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Theodore Roosevelt·1910

Our country—this great republic—means nothing unless it means the triumph of a real democracy, the triumph of popular government, and, in the long run, of an economic system under which each man shall be guaranteed the opportunity to show the best that there is in him.

Abraham Lincoln·1863

…And that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.

Eleanor Roosevelt·1963

We must know what we think and speak out, even at the risk of unpopularity. In the final analysis, a democratic government represents the sum total of the courage and the integrity of its individuals. It cannot be better than they are. … In the long run there is no more exhilarating experience than to determine one's position, state it bravely and then act boldly.

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More from Winston Churchill

1931·Chartwell

Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.

1938·Commons

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.

1942·Downing St

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

Locus

London, England

Tempus