QuoteProject
In a democracy, the individual enjoys not only the ultimate power but carries the ultimate responsibility.
Norman Cousins
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

In a democracy, individuals have both power and the responsibility that comes with it.

This quote emphasizes the dual nature of democracy where, while individuals possess significant power in shaping governance and society, they are also accountable for the consequences of their actions and decisions. It suggests that true democracy is not merely about enjoying freedoms and rights but also about recognizing one's duty to contribute positively and responsibly to the collective welfare.

Themes

DemocracyResponsibilityPowerIndividualAccountability

In practice

Example use cases

During a civic education class discussing the role of citizens in a democracy.

More from Norman Cousins

Respect for the fragility and importance of an individual life is still the mark of an educated man.
Norman CousinsRead
Never deny a diagnosis, but do deny the negative verdict that may go with it.
Norman CousinsRead
Although a man may have no jurisdiction over the fact of his existence, he can hold supreme command over the meaning of existence for him.
Norman CousinsRead
People are never more insecure than when they become obsessed with their fears at the expense of their dreams.
Norman CousinsRead
Reverence for life is more than solicitude or sensitivity for life. It is a sense of the whole, a capacity for inspired response, a respect for the intricate universe of individual life. It is the supreme awareness of awareness itself.
Norman CousinsRead
Drugs are not always necessary. Belief in recovery always is.
Norman CousinsRead

Similar quotes

Petroleum is a more likely cause of international conflict than wheat.
Simone WeilRead
Cities give us collision. 'Tis said, London and New York take the nonsense out of a man.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead
Space is something that you have to define. Otherwise, it is like anxiety, which is too vague. A fear is something specific. I like claustrophobic spaces, because at least then you know your limits.
Louise BourgeoisRead
The first-beginnings of things cannot be distinguished by the eye.
LucretiusRead
Personal growth can be painful, because it can make us feel ashamed and humiliated to face our own darkness. But our spiritual goal is the journey out of fear-based, painful mental habit patterns, to those of love and peace.
Marianne WilliamsonRead
We are not at war with Islam. We are at war with people who have perverted Islam.
Barack ObamaRead

A little wisdom, now and then

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