--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The project of organizing a democratic…" description: "\"The project of organizing a democratic political movement entails the hope that one's ideas and beliefs are not merely idiosyncratic but speak to vital..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/ellen-willis-14968_belief_the-project-of-organizing-a-democratic-p_1158997.png" --- # The project of organizing a democratic political movement… ![“The project of organizing a democratic political movement entails the hope that one's ideas and beliefs are not merely idiosyncratic but speak to vital human needs, interests and desires, and therefore will be persuasive to many and ultimately most people. But this is a very different matter from…” quote by Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/ellen-willis-14968_belief_the-project-of-organizing-a-democratic-p_1158997.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/ellen-willis-14968_belief_the-project-of-organizing-a-democratic-p_1158997.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/ellen-willis-14968_belief_the-project-of-organizing-a-democratic-p_1158997.png) > “The project of organizing a democratic political movement entails the hope that one's ideas and beliefs are not merely idiosyncratic but speak to vital human needs, interests and desires, and therefore will be persuasive to many and ultimately most people. But this is a very different matter from deciding to put forward only those ideas presumed (accurately or not) to be compatible with what most people already believe.” [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Democratic movements should address universal human needs, not just popular opinions. **In simple terms:** Movements must meet real human needs. Key Takeaway Prioritize inclusive ideas. Themes democracy politics inclusion Mood thoughtful critical Type political activist When to use this quote - community organizing - policy drafting - grassroots campaigning - public debates Key Concepts social theory collective will Questions to Reflect On - What needs are truly universal? - How to balance majority view with minority rights? A Different Perspective Risk of ignoring minority perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Human needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-needs/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Persuasive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuasive/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political movements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-movements/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [Feminism as a political movement has to specifically address the needs of men in their struggle to revolutionize their consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/feminism-as-a-political-movement-has-to-specifically-address-the/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [Muslim leaders should ask themselves what exactly their relationship is to a political movement that encourages young men to kill and maim on religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/muslim-leaders-should-ask-themselves-what-exactly-their-relationship/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [My pick for Best Political Move of the Year, which is the decisive (ph) and this means it is actually the best political movement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/my-pick-for-best-political-move-of-the-year-which-is-the-decisive-ph/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Revolution: Political movement which gets many people´s hopes up, let´s even more people down, makes almost everybody uncomfortable, and a few, extraordinarily rich. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolfo-bioy-casares/revolution-political-movement-which-gets-many-people-s-hopes-up-let-s/) [Adolfo Bioy Casares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolfo-bioy-casares/) > [As the histories of ancient and modern democracies illustrate, the pressure of political movement in times of war, civil commotion, or general anxiety pushes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-heilbroner/as-the-histories-of-ancient-and-modern-democracies-illustrate-the/) [Robert Heilbroner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-heilbroner/) > [For a political movement to not understand that sexuality is a profound component of both how people are oppressed and how people dream, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-hollibaugh/for-a-political-movement-to-not-understand-that-sexuality-is-a/) [Amber Hollibaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-hollibaugh/) > [All political movements are basically anti-creative - since a political movement is a form of war. "There's no place for impractical dreamers around here,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/all-political-movements-are-basically-anti-creative-since-a-political-2/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [A political movement must keep in touch with reality and the prevailing conditions. Long speeches, the shaking of fists, the banging of tables, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/a-political-movement-must-keep-in-touch-with-reality-and-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [All political movements are basically anti-creative - since a political movement is a form of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/all-political-movements-are-basically-anti-creative-since-a-political/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [A leader who accepts the outside financing of his movement is like the man who accustoms his body to live on medication. To the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corneliu-zelea-codreanu/a-leader-who-accepts-the-outside-financing-of-his-movement-is-like/) [Corneliu Zelea Codreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corneliu-zelea-codreanu/) > [Any political movement directed against any body of our fellow-citizens because of their religious creed is a grave offense against American principles and American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/any-political-movement-directed-against-any-body-of-our-fellow/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [We don't have a great clash of civilizations, a clash of ideologies, a clash of alternative models, where governments thought to themselves, if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/we-don-t-have-a-great-clash-of-civilizations-a-clash-of-ideologies-a/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [We believe it is the duty of the vanguard political movement which brings change to educate people's outlook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-believe-it-is-the-duty-of-the-vanguard-political-movement-which/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [We need a new political movement of women and men toward a new society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/we-need-a-new-political-movement-of-women-and-men-toward-a-new-society/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [for me, the beauty of feminism is that it is a social and political movement that has redefined the power and obligation of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-gornick/for-me-the-beauty-of-feminism-is-that-it-is-a-social-and-political/) [Vivian Gornick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-gornick/) ## More by Ellen Willis > [You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to surmise that war has a perverse appeal for the human race, nor is the attraction limited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/you-don-t-have-to-be-sigmund-freud-to-surmise-that-war-has-a-perverse/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [For democrats, it's as crucial to defend secular culture as to preserve secular law. And in fact the two projects are inseparable: When religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/for-democrats-it-s-as-crucial-to-defend-secular-culture-as-to/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [What turns me on is erotica; what turns you on is pornographic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/what-turns-me-on-is-erotica-what-turns-you-on-is-pornographic/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [Some conservatives have expressed outrage that the views of professors are at odds with the views of students, as if ideas were entitled to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/some-conservatives-have-expressed-outrage-that-the-views-of/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [For the most part, Americans speak of culture and politics as if they were two separate realms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/for-the-most-part-americans-speak-of-culture-and-politics-as-if-they/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [Mass consumption, advertising, and mass art are a corporate Frankenstein; while they reinforce the system, they also undermine it. By continually pushing the message…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/mass-consumption-advertising-and-mass-art-are-a-corporate/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [My education was dominated by modernist thinkers and artists who taught me that the supreme imperative was courage to face the awful truth, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/my-education-was-dominated-by-modernist-thinkers-and-artists-who/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [The public's continuing ambivalence about cultural matters is all the more striking given that the political conversation on these issues has for 30 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/the-public-s-continuing-ambivalence-about-cultural-matters-is-all-the/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [Music that boldly and aggressively laid out what the singer wanted, loved, hated — as good rock ’n’ roll did — challenged me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/music-that-boldly-and-aggressively-laid-out-what-the-singer-wanted/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [Individuals bearing witness do not change history; only movements that understand their social world can do that. Movements encourage solidarity; the moral individual is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/individuals-bearing-witness-do-not-change-history-only-movements-that/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [Whatever their limitations, Freud and Marx developed complex and subtle theories of human nature grounded in their observation of individual and social behavior. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/whatever-their-limitations-freud-and-marx-developed-complex-and/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [The drug war has nothing to do with making communities livable or creating a decent future for black kids. On the contrary, prohibition is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/the-drug-war-has-nothing-to-do-with-making-communities-livable-or/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [I was a 'Big Brother' fan. I thought they were better musicians than their detractors claimed, but more to the point, technical accomplishment was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/i-was-a-big-brother-fan-i-thought-they-were-better-musicians-than/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [The Democratic power elite on some level feels delegitimized by its working-class, black and female constituencies. What it wants are the "legitimate" votes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/the-democratic-power-elite-on-some-level-feels-delegitimized-by-its/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [On one level the sixties revolt was an impressive illustration of Lenin's remark that the capitalist will sell you the rope to hang him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/on-one-level-the-sixties-revolt-was-an-impressive-illustration-of/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) [Explore all 44 Ellen Willis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) ## More Belief quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Rigid traditions capture souls prisons of spiritual thought man’s religion has captured a god grown too small and very weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/rigid-traditions-capture-souls-prisons-of-spiritual-thought-man-s/) [David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/there-s-no-greatest-moment-in-the-arts-it-s-a-life-it-s-a-continuity/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Browse all 10,268 Belief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The project of organizing a democratic political movement entails the hope that one's ideas and beliefs are not merely idiosyncratic but speak to vital human needs, interests and desires, and therefore will be persuasive to many and ultimately most people. 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