--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [N]o democracy with a free press has ever…" description: "\"[N]o democracy with a free press has ever experienced a major famine.\" — Amartya Sen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/824/amartya-sen-2518_democracy_n-o-democracy-with-a-free-press-has-ever_2950727.png" --- # \[N\]o democracy with a free press has ever experienced a… ![“[N]o democracy with a free press has ever experienced a major famine.” quote by Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/824/amartya-sen-2518_democracy_n-o-democracy-with-a-free-press-has-ever_2950727.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/824/amartya-sen-2518_democracy_n-o-democracy-with-a-free-press-has-ever_2950727.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/824/amartya-sen-2518_democracy_n-o-democracy-with-a-free-press-has-ever_2950727.png) > “\[N\]o democracy with a free press has ever experienced a major famine.” [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A free press is essential to prevent famines; without it, governments cannot be held accountable for food shortages. **In simple terms:** Free press stops famines. Key Takeaway Support independent media. Themes democracy press freedom food security government accountability Mood concerned urgent Type analytical political When to use this quote - journalism - policy making - humanitarian aid - NGO work Key Concepts public health information transparency political economy Questions to Reflect On - How does media influence policy on hunger? - What safeguards ensure press freedom? A Different Perspective Even with a free press, political will may still fail to act. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Democracy Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy-free-564294/) [Famine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/famine/) [Free press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-press/) [Major Famine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/major-famine-4446168/) [Majors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majors/) [Presses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presses/) ## Related quotes > [I believe that as slow and frustrating as it sometimes is, our democracy, our free press and the rule of law work. They have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/i-believe-that-as-slow-and-frustrating-as-it-sometimes-is-our/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [The objective I propose is quite simple to state: to foster the infrastructure of democracy - the system of a free press, unions, political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-objective-i-propose-is-quite-simple-to-state-to-foster-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I tell you, in my opinion, the cornerstone of democracy is free press - that's the cornerstone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/i-tell-you-in-my-opinion-the-cornerstone-of-democracy-is-free-press/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [Famines are easy to prevent if there is a serious effort to do so, and a democratic government, facing elections and criticisms from opposition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/famines-are-easy-to-prevent-if-there-is-a-serious-effort-to-do-so-and/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [No substantial famine has ever occurred in any independent and democratic country with a relatively free press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/no-substantial-famine-has-ever-occurred-in-any-independent-and/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [No substantial famine has ever occurred in a democratic country - no matter how poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/no-substantial-famine-has-ever-occurred-in-a-democratic-country-no/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [It is almost superfluous to say that there is no such thing as a free and independent press among the mainstream news media today.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-baldwin/it-is-almost-superfluous-to-say-that-there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-free/) [Chuck Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-baldwin/) > [What we have to do is to definitively remove the last vestiges of power from those who treat terms such as 'liberal democracy,' 'free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-tusk/what-we-have-to-do-is-to-definitively-remove-the-last-vestiges-of/) [Donald Tusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-tusk/) > [Those who believe that liberal democracy and the free market can be defended by the force of law and regulation alone, without an internalised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/those-who-believe-that-liberal-democracy-and-the-free-market-can-be/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [“Corporatists like Robert Schuman and Jean Monnet were bent on constructing the Brussels-based bureaucracy as a democracy-free zone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/corporatists-like-robert-schuman-and-jean-monnet-were-bent-on/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [“Hard to grasp democracy without free will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/hard-to-grasp-democracy-without-free-will/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [As you have fewer and fewer voices in a democracy, in a free society, it's not good to limit the number of voices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/as-you-have-fewer-and-fewer-voices-in-a-democracy-in-a-free-society/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [The essence of a democracy is a free electorate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlen-specter/the-essence-of-a-democracy-is-a-free-electorate/) [Arlen Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlen-specter/) > [A free press is not a privilege but an organic necessity in a great society. ... A great society is simply a big and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/a-free-press-is-not-a-privilege-but-an-organic-necessity-in-a-great/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [No matter how imperfect things are, if you've got a free press everything is correctable, and without it everything is concealable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/no-matter-how-imperfect-things-are-if-you-ve-got-a-free-press/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) ## More by Amartya Sen > [Capability is just a concept of what is it we're looking at. Now how far we can go along that and what new capabilities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/capability-is-just-a-concept-of-what-is-it-we-re-looking-at-now-how/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/where-the-mind-is-without-fear-and-the-head-is-held-high-where/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [Violence is fomented by the imposition of singular and belligerent identities on gullible people, championed by proficient artisans of terror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/violence-is-fomented-by-the-imposition-of-singular-and-belligerent/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [I think the whole progress over the last two or three millennia has been entirely dependent on ideas and techniques and commodities and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/i-think-the-whole-progress-over-the-last-two-or-three-millennia-has/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [No famine has ever taken place in the history of the world in a functioning democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/no-famine-has-ever-taken-place-in-the-history-of-the-world-in-a/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [To say that certainly America was very lucky to get a large amount of land, and the native Indians were extremely unlucky to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/to-say-that-certainly-america-was-very-lucky-to-get-a-large-amount-of/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [The lack of economic freedom could be a very major reason for loss of liberty, liberty of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/the-lack-of-economic-freedom-could-be-a-very-major-reason-for-loss-of/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [We need to ask the moral questions: Do I have a right to be rich? And do I have a right to be content…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/we-need-to-ask-the-moral-questions-do-i-have-a-right-to-be-rich-and/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [“He wrote extensively on how schools should be made more attractive to boys and girls and thus more productive. His own co-educational school at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/he-wrote-extensively-on-how-schools-should-be-made-more-attractive-to/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [One has to be realistic. One’s concern for equity and justice in the world must not carry one into the alien territory of unreasoned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/one-has-to-be-realistic-one-s-concern-for-equity-and-justice-in-the/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [While I am interested both in economics and in philosophy, the union of my interests in the two fields far exceeds their intersection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/while-i-am-interested-both-in-economics-and-in-philosophy-the-union/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [I was born in a University campus and seem to have lived all my life in one campus or another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/i-was-born-in-a-university-campus-and-seem-to-have-lived-all-my-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [If jobs are important, education is important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/if-jobs-are-important-education-is-important/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [Thailand's economic development was driven by educational expansion. That has been a very dramatic factor, and South Asia had been pretty miserable in not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/thailand-s-economic-development-was-driven-by-educational-expansion/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) [Explore all 162 Amartya Sen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) ## More Democracy quotes > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. 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But right now, as of October 17, 2014, the Republican Senate candidates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-continetti/there-is-plenty-of-time-for-republicans-to-have-a-macaca-moment-but/) [Matthew Continetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-continetti/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [ Vote for Donald Trump. You're going to see something and you'll be so happy, you'll be so thrilled. 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Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. 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