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Remember one thing about democracy. We can have anything we want and at the same time, we always end up with exactly what we deserve.
Edward Albee
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote suggests that democracy provides us with choices, yet we always end up with the outcomes that reflect our collective character and decisions.

Edward Albee's quote reflects the complex relationship between personal responsibility and democratic governance. While democracy offers the freedom to pursue a wide range of desires, it ultimately holds us accountable for the consequences of our choices—implying that the state of our society is a direct mirror of our shared values and actions. In essence, it emphasizes that we reap what we sow as a community, highlighting the importance of civic engagement and moral responsibility in shaping our reality.

Themes

DemocracyResponsibilitySocietyChoicesValuesAccountability

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about civic engagement, one could say, 'As Edward Albee said, we always end up with exactly what we deserve.'

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When a critic sets himself up as an arbiter of morality, a judge of the matter and not the manner of a work, he is no longer a critic; he is a censor.
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I am convinced that no one is fully educated without a full grounding in the arts.
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Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it.
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Your source material is the people you know, not those you don't know, but every character is an extension of the author's own personality.
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I think we should all live on the precipe of life, as fully and as dangerously as possible. Everyone should make the assumption that they're going through life only once. Tomorrow we die. Why not take chances, extend yourself? How awful it is when a person comes to the end of life full of regret.
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