--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The moral case is, people say, \"Oh…" description: "\"The moral case is, people say, \"Oh they're not ready for democracy,\" but that's something someone who lives in a democracy would say about someone who ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/condoleezza-rice-807_being-true_the-moral-case-is-people-say-oh-they-re_2190816.jpg" --- # The moral case is, people say, "Oh they're not ready for… ![“The moral case is, people say, "Oh they're not ready for democracy," but that's something someone who lives in a democracy would say about someone who doesn't live in a democracy. Well, if democracy is the highest form of human potential, then it can't be true for us and not for them. But, the…” quote by Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/condoleezza-rice-807_being-true_the-moral-case-is-people-say-oh-they-re_2190816.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/condoleezza-rice-807_being-true_the-moral-case-is-people-say-oh-they-re_2190816.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/condoleezza-rice-807_being-true_the-moral-case-is-people-say-oh-they-re_2190816.jpg) > “The moral case is, people say, "Oh they're not ready for democracy," but that's something someone who lives in a democracy would say about someone who doesn't live in a democracy. Well, if democracy is the highest form of human potential, then it can't be true for us and not for them. But, the practical case is democracies don't invade their neighbors. Democracies don't traffic in child soldiers. Democracies don't harbor terrorists as a state policy. So there's a reason to have more democratic states.” [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Democracy is the best system for human flourishing, and its benefits—peace, non‑support of terrorism, and child‑soldier avoidance—make expanding it desirable. **In simple terms:** Democracy brings peace and protects children. Key Takeaway Promote democratic governance worldwide. Themes democracy human potential peace human rights foreign policy Mood hopeful critical Type political ethical When to use this quote - international aid - diplomacy - conflict resolution - humanitarian intervention Key Concepts political theory comparative politics normative ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can we support democracy without imposing it? - What safeguards prevent democratic backsliding? A Different Perspective Democracies can still commit abuses and may not suit all cultures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being true](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-true/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Democracies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracies/) [Democracies Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracies-don-834663/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Democratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic/) [Human potential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-potential/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [Neighbors Democracies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbors-democracies-4770691/) [Not ready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-ready/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Democratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-democratic-4770692/) [Soldier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldier/) [Terrorist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorist/) ## Related quotes > [When democracies don't deliver growth, alternatives seem more attractive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jens-martin-skibsted/when-democracies-don-t-deliver-growth-alternatives-seem-more/) [Jens Martin Skibsted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jens-martin-skibsted/) > [“Democracies don't even withstand formally half educated citizens. Courtesy, respect, and sensibility don't tend to ethical sense. Nature nurtures, if compared to most good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/democracies-don-t-even-withstand-formally-half-educated-citizens/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I would argue that in times of war, sealed lips sink entire democracies. If we don't have access to vital information, we lose everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-gup/i-would-argue-that-in-times-of-war-sealed-lips-sink-entire/) [Ted Gup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-gup/) > [Diplomats bluster and bluff, but democracies don't really have that many tools they can use to push back, effectively, against the seductive ideas of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/diplomats-bluster-and-bluff-but-democracies-don-t-really-have-that/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [Ultimately, the best strategy to ensure our security and to build a durable peace is to support the advance of democracy elsewhere. Democracies don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/ultimately-the-best-strategy-to-ensure-our-security-and-to-build-a/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [You start to learn that democracies don't work when it comes to artistic expression. You learn that if you don't handle your business, someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-rodriguez-lopez/you-start-to-learn-that-democracies-don-t-work-when-it-comes-to/) [Omar Rodriguez-Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-rodriguez-lopez/) > [Democracies don't war; democracies are peaceful countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/democracies-don-t-war-democracies-are-peaceful-countries/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Most liberal democracies don't try to figure out what the truth is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/most-liberal-democracies-don-t-try-to-figure-out-what-the-truth-is/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [Democracies don't go to war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manmohan-singh/democracies-don-t-go-to-war/) [Manmohan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manmohan-singh/) > [Democracies don't prepare well for things that have never happened before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-clarke/democracies-don-t-prepare-well-for-things-that-have-never-happened/) [Richard A. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-a-clarke/) > [Democracies don't go to war against each other, and by and large they don't sponsor terrorism. They're more likely to respect the environment and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/democracies-don-t-go-to-war-against-each-other-and-by-and-large-they/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [The reason why the Democratic Party fell from grace is because they become nothing more than elitist. That was it. Goldman Sachs - that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/the-reason-why-the-democratic-party-fell-from-grace-is-because-they/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [We've organized human potential and have been better at using human potential better than any country on the face of the Earth. That's because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/we-ve-organized-human-potential-and-have-been-better-at-using-human/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [there is that wish, in the name of democracy, to level down, because high cultural standards are despised and rejected, and even feared, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-bridge/there-is-that-wish-in-the-name-of-democracy-to-level-down-because/) [Ann Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-bridge/) > [In the Christian perspective, the love of God and of all other human beings invites us to share and enjoy not just the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/in-the-christian-perspective-the-love-of-god-and-of-all-other-human/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) ## More by Condoleezza Rice > [The Iranian people have a proud past. They merit a great future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-iranian-people-have-a-proud-past-they-merit-a-great-future/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [It has been hard to muster the resources to support fledgling democracies and to intervene on behalf of the most desperate. The AIDS orphans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/it-has-been-hard-to-muster-the-resources-to-support-fledgling/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [We can't live true to our set of values unless American educational system is strong. I really believe that if we don't get that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/we-can-t-live-true-to-our-set-of-values-unless-american-educational/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [I remember at the time of 9/11 that there were women who went out of their way to escort Muslim women to grocery stores…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/i-remember-at-the-time-of-9-11-that-there-were-women-who-went-out-of/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [The first step for a leader is to be right with yourself. Integrity is the basis of leadership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-first-step-for-a-leader-is-to-be-right-with-yourself-integrity-is/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [A lot is being done to bring additional protective measures, particularly the critical infrastructure locations around the United States, ... There is a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/a-lot-is-being-done-to-bring-additional-protective-measures/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [You cannot be on one hand dedicated to peace and on the other dedicated to violence. Those two things are irreconcilable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/you-cannot-be-on-one-hand-dedicated-to-peace-and-on-the-other/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [I'm not personally fearful, but I look out, and there are a number of things that concern me, and I'm hopeful that we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/i-m-not-personally-fearful-but-i-look-out-and-there-are-a-number-of/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [ \[I'm\] very fortunate and blessed person who still has a lot of living to do. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/i-m-very-fortunate-and-blessed-person-who-still-has-a-lot-of-living/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [Football is like war. It's about taking territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/football-is-like-war-it-s-about-taking-territory/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [I think there are plenty of men out there who are capable and accomplished in their own realm. You don't have to be in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/i-think-there-are-plenty-of-men-out-there-who-are-capable-and/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [I've always said as a political scientist that "culture" is what we use when we can't explain things. I think it's more about accessibility.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/i-ve-always-said-as-a-political-scientist-that-culture-is-what-we-use/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [I believed Afghanistan was always going to be hard. It's the fifth poorest country in the world. And when you fly over it, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/i-believed-afghanistan-was-always-going-to-be-hard-it-s-the-fifth/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [I'm very glad my mother didn't let me quit piano lessons at age 10. She said I wasn't old enough or good enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/i-m-very-glad-my-mother-didn-t-let-me-quit-piano-lessons-at-age-10/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [The idea the president of the United States was warned that Al-Qaeda was going to attack the United States and did nothing about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-idea-the-president-of-the-united-states-was-warned-that-al-qaeda/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) [Explore all 365 Condoleezza Rice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) ## More Being true quotes > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? My teenage boys got a kick out of it: 'Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/some-article-called-me-the-most-feared-man-in-silicon-valley-good/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Intuitionists think that there are cases in which, say, some identity statement between real numbers is neither true nor false, even though we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-f-heck/intuitionists-think-that-there-are-cases-in-which-say-some-identity/) [Richard F. Heck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-f-heck/) > [Don't be pretentious is my first advice to young writers. This is the big problem - just because you're getting an MFA doesn't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/don-t-be-pretentious-is-my-first-advice-to-young-writers-this-is-the/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [There is no normal. I've never met a normal person. The concept is flawed. It implies that there is only one way people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/there-is-no-normal-i-ve-never-met-a-normal-person-the-concept-is/) [Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/) > [I learned a tremendous amount about what was important to me as a head coach in that I was not in charge. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-carroll/i-learned-a-tremendous-amount-about-what-was-important-to-me-as-a/) [Pete Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-carroll/) > [Life is all about being true to yourself and what you believe in](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-biersack/life-is-all-about-being-true-to-yourself-and-what-you-believe-in/) [Andy Biersack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-biersack/) > [I have spent most of my life unlearning things that were proved not to be true](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/i-have-spent-most-of-my-life-unlearning-things-that-were-proved-not/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [It seemed too good to be true. That's grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judah-smith/it-seemed-too-good-to-be-true-that-s-grace/) [Judah Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judah-smith/) > [You create the happiness and the balance that you have, and your own power. This is one thing that I know to be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/you-create-the-happiness-and-the-balance-that-you-have-and-your-own/) [Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/) > [Being true to yourself means living in truth with each person in your life. It means refusing to say or do something that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/being-true-to-yourself-means-living-in-truth-with-each-person-in-your/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [It is not the responsibility of the enlightened teacher to bring the student to enlightenment. That may be true in the classroom, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-is-not-the-responsibility-of-the-enlightened-teacher-to-bring-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) [Browse all 1,447 Being true quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-true/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The moral case is, people say, \"Oh they're not ready for democracy,\" but that's something someone who lives in a democracy would say about someone who doesn't live in a democracy. Well, if democracy is the highest form of human potential, then it can't be true for us and not for them. But, the practical case is democracies don't invade their neighbors. Democracies don't traffic in child soldiers. Democracies don't harbor terrorists as a state policy. So there's a reason to have more democratic states.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Condoleezza Rice" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-moral-case-is-people-say-oh-they-re-not-ready-for-democracy-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being true" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-moral-case-is-people-say-oh-they-re-not-ready-for-democracy-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/condoleezza-rice-807_being-true_the-moral-case-is-people-say-oh-they-re_2190816.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/condoleezza-rice-807_being-true_the-moral-case-is-people-say-oh-they-re_2190816.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/condoleezza-rice-807_being-true_the-moral-case-is-people-say-oh-they-re_2190816.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The moral case is, people say, \"Oh they're not ready for democracy,\" but that's something someone who lives…” — Condoleezza Rice", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Condoleezza Rice", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The moral case is, people say,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-moral-case-is-people-say-oh-they-re-not-ready-for-democracy-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/the-moral-case-is-people-say-oh-they-re-not-ready-for-democracy-but/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```