- “Democracy does not give the people the most skillful government, but it produces what the ablest governments are frequently unable to create; namely, an all-pervading and restless activity, a superabundant force, and an energy which is inseparable from it and which may, however, unfavorable circumstances may be, produce wonders. These are the true advantages of democracy.” Alexis de Tocqueville
- “One of the great lessons of the 19th and 20th centuries was the recognition of this big space that exists between what is the public sector (government) and what is the private sector (business), and led to the development of our nonprofit sector. It is not a luxury, it is a necessity. It is essential to the healthy balance of society. And, if it withers, the quality of society degrades in a democracy…We don’t yet have a rational way of funding this vitally important sector of society. That is the challenge that philanthropy needs to face up to in the United States and globally in the 21st century.” —Richard Rockefeller, Chairman, Rockefeller Brothers Fund at the Opening Session of the Value of Family Philanthropy National Symposium
- “The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.” Thomas Jefferson
- “Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.” James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)