QuoteProject
Western people ask me whether it is a paradox that I am King but support democracy. I have to tell them that in Thailand, the King is the guarantor of democracy.
Bhumibol Adulyadej
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The King of Thailand plays a crucial role in ensuring democracy, even as a monarch.

This quote highlights the unique relationship between monarchy and democracy in Thailand. It emphasizes that the King's role is not one of absolute power but rather as a protector and supporter of the democratic process, illustrating how traditional structures can coexist with modern governance principles.

Themes

KingDemocracyThailandMonarchyPolitics

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about political systems, this quote can be used to illustrate how monarchy can support democratic ideals.

More from Bhumibol Adulyadej

My mother praised me when I did something good, and then the next moment, she would say, 'Don't float.' She put me in a balloon and then pricked it.
Bhumibol AdulyadejRead
People get angry at others who express a different opinion, while, in fact, they should be angry at themselves. But we must be angry at ourselves the most when we say something today, only to say something else tomorrow.
Bhumibol AdulyadejRead
They say that a kingdom is like a pyramid: the king on top and the people below. But in this country, it's upside down.
Bhumibol AdulyadejRead

Similar quotes

Wine makes a man better pleased with himself. I do not say that it makes him more pleasing to others. Sometimes it does. But the danger is, that while a man grows better pleased with himself, he may be growing less pleasing to others. Wine gives a man nothing. It neither gives him knowledge nor wit; it only animates a man, and enables him to bring out what a dread of the company has presented.
James BoswellRead
There's an old saying that applies to me: you can't lose a game if you don't play the game. (Act 1, scene 4)
William ShakespeareRead
God is pleased continually to vary His mode of dealing with us, in order that we may not be tempted to trust in donors, or in circumstances, but in Him alone, and to keep our eye fixed upon Him.
George MullerRead
The cynic says, "One man can't do anything". I say, "Only one man can do anything."
John W. GardnerRead
There are things I take sides about, like capital punishment, which it seems to me there is only one side about: it is evil. But there are two or three sides to sexual harassment, and the moment you get into particular cases, there is injustice in every conceivable direction. It's a mess.
A. S. ByattRead
Volumes can be and have been written about the issue of freedom versus dictatorship, but, in essence, it comes down to a single question: do you consider it moral to treat men as sacrificial animals and to rule them by physical force?
Ayn RandRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.