--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We see the tendency in the world to…" description: "\"We see the tendency in the world to criticise democracy and sometimes even to say that authoritarian countries like China are more efficient. That is v..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/ai-weiwei-824_about_we-see-the-tendency-in-the-world-to-crit_3047939.png" --- # We see the tendency in the world to criticise democracy… ![“We see the tendency in the world to criticise democracy and sometimes even to say that authoritarian countries like China are more efficient. That is very short-sighted. China looks efficient only because it can sacrifice most people's rights. This is not something the west should be happy about.” quote by Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/ai-weiwei-824_about_we-see-the-tendency-in-the-world-to-crit_3047939.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/ai-weiwei-824_about_we-see-the-tendency-in-the-world-to-crit_3047939.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/ai-weiwei-824_about_we-see-the-tendency-in-the-world-to-crit_3047939.png) > “We see the tendency in the world to criticise democracy and sometimes even to say that authoritarian countries like China are more efficient. That is very short-sighted. China looks efficient only because it can sacrifice most people's rights. This is not something the west should be happy about.” [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authoritarian efficiency often sacrifices individual rights, making it a false metric of success. **In simple terms:** Efficiency can hide oppression. Key Takeaway Value democratic freedoms over superficial efficiency. Themes politics human rights efficiency authoritarianism Mood critical concerned Type political analytical When to use this quote - policy analysis - activism - education reform - media reporting Key Concepts ethics governance Questions to Reflect On - What are the true costs of sacrificing rights? - How can societies balance speed with liberty? A Different Perspective Efficiency may be short‑term and unsustainable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authoritarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authoritarian/) [Authoritarian government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authoritarian-government/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Countries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/countries/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Sacrifice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrifice/) [Short sighted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-sighted/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“Could civil liberties really be a cause, rather than just an effect? I think so. I think a society in which people can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/could-civil-liberties-really-be-a-cause-rather-than-just-an-effect-i/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [A nation like China has become one of the biggest production fields for exporting cheap labor, which also re-questions our history and past, re-questions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/a-nation-like-china-has-become-one-of-the-biggest-production-fields/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I don't like China. Even today, I still feel I have no emotional relations with this place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-like-china-even-today-i-still-feel-i-have-no-emotional/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Democracy acknowledges the right to differ as well as the duty to settle differences peacefully. 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To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) ## More by Ai Weiwei > [I'm totally independent. I don't bear any responsibility to any system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-totally-independent-i-don-t-bear-any-responsibility-to-any-system/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/if-my-art-has-nothing-to-do-with-people-s-pain-and-sorrow-what-is-art/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-want-after-81-days-in-arbitrary/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. 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I don't know how far I can still walk on this road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/it-doesn-t-matter-where-i-am-china-will-stay-in-me-i-don-t-know-how/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/chinese-citizens-have-never-had-the-right-to-really-express-their/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/your-own-acts-tell-the-world-who-you-are-and-what-kind-of-society-you/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Our lives are bound by physical limits, familial ties, political conditions, and geographical restrictions. Individual freedom takes us beyond them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/our-lives-are-bound-by-physical-limits-familial-ties-political/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Now I've come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/now-i-ve-come-to-such-a-mixed-culture-america-europe-south-america/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese art has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-it-s-worth-discussing-new-directions-in-the-context-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) [Explore all 359 Ai Weiwei quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. 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