--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A well-functioning democracy has a…" description: "\"A well-functioning democracy has a culture of free speech, not simply legal protection of free speech. It encourages independence of mind. It imparts a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/cass-sunstein-7201_attitude_a-well-functioning-democracy-has-a-cultu_559754.png" --- # A well-functioning democracy has a culture of free speech… ![“A well-functioning democracy has a culture of free speech, not simply legal protection of free speech. It encourages independence of mind. It imparts a willingness to challenge prevailing opinion through both words and deeds. Equally important, it encourages a certain set of attitudes in…” quote by Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/cass-sunstein-7201_attitude_a-well-functioning-democracy-has-a-cultu_559754.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/cass-sunstein-7201_attitude_a-well-functioning-democracy-has-a-cultu_559754.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/cass-sunstein-7201_attitude_a-well-functioning-democracy-has-a-cultu_559754.png) > “A well-functioning democracy has a culture of free speech, not simply legal protection of free speech. It encourages independence of mind. It imparts a willingness to challenge prevailing opinion through both words and deeds. Equally important, it encourages a certain set of attitudes in listeners, one that gives a respectful hearing to those who do not embrace the conventional wisdom. In a culture of free speech, the attitude of listeners is no less important than that of speakers.” [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A healthy democracy nurtures not just legal rights to speak, but a cultural habit of listening respectfully and questioning dominant ideas. **In simple terms:** Democracy needs both speaking and listening cultures. Key Takeaway Cultivate respectful listening and critical thinking. Themes democracy free speech critical thinking respectful dialogue civic culture Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - political debates - classroom discussions - media consumption - community meetings Key Concepts public sphere deliberative democracy civic virtue Questions to Reflect On - How can we foster respectful listening in polarized environments? - What habits encourage challenging prevailing opinions? A Different Perspective Listeners may be swayed by social pressure, limiting true openness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conventional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conventional/) [Conventional wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conventional-wisdom/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Culture Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture-free-2093481/) [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) [Democracies have](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracies-have/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Democracy Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy-culture-3672239/) [Embrace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embrace/) [Free speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-speech/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Functioning Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/functioning-democracy-281455/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Hearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hearing/) [Impart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impart/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independence/) [Listeners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listeners/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Prevailing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prevailing/) [Protection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protection/) [Respectful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respectful/) [Respectful Hearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respectful-hearing-4643078/) [Speakers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speakers/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Willingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willingness/) ## Related quotes > [“That tradition is the way our culture gets made. As I explain in the pages that follow, we come from a tradition of "free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/that-tradition-is-the-way-our-culture-gets-made-as-i-explain-in-the/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [There's too much democracy in the culture, not enough in the society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/there-s-too-much-democracy-in-the-culture-not-enough-in-the-society/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [“Anti-intellectualism is itself a means of short-circuiting democracy, because a stable democracy in any culture relies on the public actually understanding the implications of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/anti-intellectualism-is-itself-a-means-of-short-circuiting-democracy/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“Public access to government information is a fundamental prerequisite to a functioning democracy. A democratic system is based on the notion that government legitimacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podesta/public-access-to-government-information-is-a-fundamental-prerequisite/) [John Podesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podesta/) > [The media is absolutely essential to the functioning of a democracy. It's not our job to cozy up to power. We're supposed to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-goodman/the-media-is-absolutely-essential-to-the-functioning-of-a-democracy/) [Amy Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-goodman/) > [India's future lies in being an open society, an open polity, a functioning democracy respecting all fundamental human freedoms, accepting the rule of law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manmohan-singh/india-s-future-lies-in-being-an-open-society-an-open-polity-a/) [Manmohan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manmohan-singh/) > [India is a functioning democracy despite its extreme poverty, India has stayed the course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manmohan-singh/india-is-a-functioning-democracy-despite-its-extreme-poverty-india/) [Manmohan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manmohan-singh/) > [In a democracy, in a functioning democracy, what would be happening is that popular organizations, unions, political groupings, others would be developing their programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/in-a-democracy-in-a-functioning-democracy-what-would-be-happening-is/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The Chinese have certain advantages. The fact that it's a single party government. But I do believe in the long run the fact that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manmohan-singh/the-chinese-have-certain-advantages-the-fact-that-it-s-a-single-party/) [Manmohan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manmohan-singh/) > [In a political sense, there is one problem that currently underlies all of the others. That problem is making Government sufficiently responsive to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-r-ford/in-a-political-sense-there-is-one-problem-that-currently-underlies/) [Gerald R. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-r-ford/) > [India has remained a full, functioning democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manmohan-singh/india-has-remained-a-full-functioning-democracy/) [Manmohan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manmohan-singh/) > [A properly functioning democracy depends on an informed electorate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-properly-functioning-democracy-depends-on-an-informed-electorate/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The ideal of a perfectly functioning democracy is one person, one vote; the ideal of a perfectly functioning market is one dollar, one vote.It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-ideal-of-a-perfectly-functioning-democracy-is-one-person-one-vote/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [In a well-functioning democracy, citizens have the option of voting their political masters out of office. Not so in most companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/in-a-well-functioning-democracy-citizens-have-the-option-of-voting/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [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/) ## More by Cass Sunstein > [I think President Barack Obama has been an extraordinarily successful president, and that this period will record that with a bunch of exclamation points.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/i-think-president-barack-obama-has-been-an-extraordinarily-successful/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [I am proud to say that the Federalist Society was founded in part at the University of Chicago, and one of its best characteristics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/i-am-proud-to-say-that-the-federalist-society-was-founded-in-part-at/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [Groups become more extreme and entrenched in their beliefs and polarized from others when members only exchange information that reinforces their views and filter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/groups-become-more-extreme-and-entrenched-in-their-beliefs-and/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [Those who believe in climate change, as I do, I think it's also fair to say that they are more receptive to confirming evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/those-who-believe-in-climate-change-as-i-do-i-think-it-s-also-fair-to/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [I think it's a very firm part of human nature that if you surround yourself with like-minded people, you'll end up thinking more extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/i-think-it-s-a-very-firm-part-of-human-nature-that-if-you-surround/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [There is no liberty without dependency. That is why we should celebrate tax day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/there-is-no-liberty-without-dependency-that-is-why-we-should/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [And so it's no surprise that people who object to the death penalty on pure moral grounds also think it has no deterrent effect,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/and-so-it-s-no-surprise-that-people-who-object-to-the-death-penalty/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [It is even possible that desirable redistribution is more likely to occur through climate change policy than otherwise, or to be accomplished more effectively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/it-is-even-possible-that-desirable-redistribution-is-more-likely-to/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [Presumed consent preserves freedom of choice, but it is different from explicit consent because it shifts the default rule. Under this policy, all citizens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/presumed-consent-preserves-freedom-of-choice-but-it-is-different-from/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [I'm also a big Bob Dylan fan. The songs on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - which is one of his best early albums -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/i-m-also-a-big-bob-dylan-fan-the-songs-on-the-freewheelin-bob-dylan/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [So, you could often say things are terrible and that accounts for what happened, or things are really bright, and that accounts for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/so-you-could-often-say-things-are-terrible-and-that-accounts-for-what/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [Wikipedia works because those who know the truth are usually more numerous and committed than those who believe in a falsehood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/wikipedia-works-because-those-who-know-the-truth-are-usually-more/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [For the Sanders supporters, there's a thought that the people who are well off are doing really great, and the system is systematically unfair,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/for-the-sanders-supporters-there-s-a-thought-that-the-people-who-are/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [Whatever your gender, you can be a Star Wars fan. Of course I knew it from life before, but the core of enthusiastic female…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/whatever-your-gender-you-can-be-a-star-wars-fan-of-course-i-knew-it/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [I got into the genesis of Star Wars, and the tale seemed to me endlessly fascinating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/i-got-into-the-genesis-of-star-wars-and-the-tale-seemed-to-me/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) [Explore all 93 Cass Sunstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) ## More Attitude quotes > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/) [Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/) > [Vow to be valiant. Resolve to be radiant. Determine to be dynamic. Strive to be sincere. Aspire to be attuned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/vow-to-be-valiant-resolve-to-be-radiant-determine-to-be-dynamic/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [Don't judge me because I'm stupid. Don't judge me because I'm, mean. Don't judge me because I'm weird. Don't judge me for mistakes. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-harden-me/don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-stupid-don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-mean-don/) [Isaiah Harden (Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-harden-me/) > [Your feelings (mood) dictate your thought, your thought determines your attitude (reactions) and your attitude describes your lifestyle, so: be careful how you feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheye-hassan/your-feelings-mood-dictate-your-thought-your-thought-determines-your/) [Sheye Hassan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheye-hassan/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [“Good Seeds! Gratitude is the Greatest Attitude that has no Substitute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kelvin-clive/good-seeds-gratitude-is-the-greatest-attitude-that-has-no-substitute/) [Bernard Kelvin Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-kelvin-clive/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [One genuine reason to feel jealous of my parents:-) I will never ever have a kid as awesome as their's...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-genuine-reason-to-feel-jealous-of-my-parents-i-will-never-ever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm optimistic Hong Kong will achieve universal suffrage - no matter the attitude of Beijing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/i-m-optimistic-hong-kong-will-achieve-universal-suffrage-no-matter/) [Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/) > [My attitude it that you don't give in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-taylor/my-attitude-it-that-you-don-t-give-in/) [Phil Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-taylor/) > [Transparency pertains to impartial behavior, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Inculcate transparency in attitude and experience a life free of controversy and blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/transparency-pertains-to-impartial-behavior-implies-openness/) [Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/) > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) [Browse all 9,543 Attitude quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A well-functioning democracy has a culture of free speech, not simply legal protection of free speech. It encourages independence of mind. It imparts a willingness to challenge prevailing opinion through both words and deeds. 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