An informed citizenry is at the heart of a dynamic democracy.
Interpretation
A knowledgeable population is essential for a vibrant democracy.
Thomas Jefferson emphasizes the importance of an informed citizenry for the functioning and vitality of a democratic society. Without awareness and knowledge, citizens cannot effectively participate in governance or make decisions that influence their community and country, which undermines the democratic process.
In practice
In a speech about civic engagement, one might say, 'As Thomas Jefferson noted, an informed citizenry is at the heart of a dynamic democracy.'
The firmness with which the (American) people have withstood the... abuses of the press, the discernment they have manifested between truth and falsehood, show that they may safely be trusted to hear everything true and false and to form a correct judgment between them.
I, place economy among the first & most important republican virtues, & public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared
βWe must make our choice between economy and liberty or confusion and servitude...If we run into such debts, we must be taxed in our meat and drink, in our necessities and comforts, in our labor and in our amusements...if we can prevent the government from wasting the labor of the people, under the pretense of caring for them, they will be happy.
Very many and very meritorious were the worthy patriots who assisted in bringing back our government to its republican tack. To preserve it in that, will require unremitting vigilance.
A nation, as a society, forms a moral person, and every member of it is personally responsible for his society.
Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.
The best defence [for a democracy, for the public good] is aggressiveness, the aggressiveness of the involved citizen. We need to reassert that slow, time-consuming, inefficient, boring process that requires our involvement; it is called 'being a citizen.' The public good is not something that you can see. It is not static. It is a process. It is the process by which democratic civilizations build themselves.
[V]irtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.
There is an absence of democratic accountability and control in every sphere of government and the state. To address this debilitating legacy requires determined action and a deep commitment to transforming our society from a crisis ridden present into something all South Africans can be truly proud of.
The 20th century shows that the form of government that we take for granted, a constitutional democratic republic with checks and balances and a rule of law - that form of government is usually temporary.
Big corporations have money and power to make sure every rule breaks their way; people have voices and votes to push back.
Being political is an integral part of being Iranian. Our lives are defined by politics.
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