--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If Despotism failed only for want of a…" description: "\"If Despotism failed only for want of a capable benevolent despot, what chance has Democracy, which requires a whole population of capable voters.\" — Ge..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/george-bernard-shaw-68_benevolent_if-despotism-failed-only-for-want-of-a-c_37739.png" --- # If Despotism failed only for want of a capable benevolent… ![“If Despotism failed only for want of a capable benevolent despot, what chance has Democracy, which requires a whole population of capable voters.” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/george-bernard-shaw-68_benevolent_if-despotism-failed-only-for-want-of-a-c_37739.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/george-bernard-shaw-68_benevolent_if-despotism-failed-only-for-want-of-a-c_37739.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/george-bernard-shaw-68_benevolent_if-despotism-failed-only-for-want-of-a-c_37739.png) > “If Despotism failed only for want of a capable benevolent despot, what chance has Democracy, which requires a whole population of capable voters.” [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that democracy's success hinges on an electorate of competent voters, implying that without such a populace, democracy is vulnerable, especially compared to a benevolent autocracy. **In simple terms:** Democracy needs informed voters. Key Takeaway Competent electorate is essential. Themes political theory democracy governance citizen competence authoritarianism Mood critical skeptical reflective Type philosophical political cautionary When to use this quote - elections - civic education - policy debates - public referenda Key Concepts voter competence legitimacy political stability Practical Applications - voter literacy programs - civic engagement initiatives Questions to Reflect On - How can societies improve voter competence? - What safeguards can protect democracy if voter knowledge is low? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Despotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despotism/) [Despots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despots/) [Voters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voters/) ## Related quotes > [Absolute power corrupts even when exercised for humane purposes. The benevolent despot who sees himself as a shepherd of the people still demands from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/absolute-power-corrupts-even-when-exercised-for-humane-purposes-the/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Voting is easy and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for democracy, which requires direct action by concerned citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/voting-is-easy-and-marginally-useful-but-it-is-a-poor-substitute-for/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [A vital democracy requires an informed electorate, civil discourse, and bold thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-o-meara-sanders/a-vital-democracy-requires-an-informed-electorate-civil-discourse-and/) [Jane O'Meara Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-o-meara-sanders/) > [“Democracy requires accountability and consent of the governed, which is only possible if citizens know what is being done in their name.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/democracy-requires-accountability-and-consent-of-the-governed-which/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [Saving the world requires saving democracy. That requires well-informed citizens. Conservation, environment, poverty, community, education, family, health, economy- these combine to make one quest:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/saving-the-world-requires-saving-democracy-that-requires-well/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [A healthy democracy requires a decent society; it requires that we are honorable, generous, tolerant and respectful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-pickering/a-healthy-democracy-requires-a-decent-society-it-requires-that-we-are/) [Charles W. Pickering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-pickering/) > [The spirit of democracy... requires change of the heart... requires the inculcation of the spirit of brotherhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-spirit-of-democracy-requires-change-of-the-heart-requires-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Democracy not only requires equality but also an unshakable conviction in the value of each person, who is then equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/democracy-not-only-requires-equality-but-also-an-unshakable-2/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [Democracy not only requires equality but also an unshakable conviction in the value of each person, who is then equal. Cross cultural experience teaches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/democracy-not-only-requires-equality-but-also-an-unshakable/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [At the dawn of his administration, President Obama opined: 'A democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency.' Magical rays of white-hot sunlight emanated from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-malkin/at-the-dawn-of-his-administration-president-obama-opined-a-democracy/) [Michelle Malkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-malkin/) > [My journey to public service began the morning after the 2016 election, when I faced the reality that democracy requires participation - not observation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-phillips/my-journey-to-public-service-began-the-morning-after-the-2016/) [Dean Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-phillips/) > [Civil disobedience is not something outside the realm of democracy. Democracy requires civil disobedience. Without civil disobedience democracy does not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/civil-disobedience-is-not-something-outside-the-realm-of-democracy/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“a democracy requires open access to ideas. It requires a willingness to struggle and learn, to question our own suppositions and biases, to open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/a-democracy-requires-open-access-to-ideas-it-requires-a-willingness/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Democracy requires that if you who don't like the outcome of elections you have to tolerate it and then pursue your interest the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/democracy-requires-that-if-you-who-don-t-like-the-outcome-of/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [But, you know, I'm sorry, I think democracy requires participation. I mean, I don't want to proselytize but I do feel some sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cusack/but-you-know-i-m-sorry-i-think-democracy-requires-participation-i/) [John Cusack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cusack/) ## More by George Bernard Shaw > [I love little children too but I don't cut off their heads and stick them in vases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-love-little-children-too-but-i-don-t-cut-off-their-heads-and-stick/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Blasphemy and sedition (meaning the truth about Church and State).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/blasphemy-and-sedition-meaning-the-truth-about-church-and-state/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of life, man invents nothing; but in the arts of death he outdoes Nature herself, and produces by chemistry and machinery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-life-man-invents-nothing-but-in-the-arts-of-death-he/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“My religious convictions and scientific views cannot at present be more specifically defined than as those of a believer in creative evolution. I desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/my-religious-convictions-and-scientific-views-cannot-at-present-be/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/what-a-man-believes-may-be-ascertained-not-from-his-creed-but-from/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [You are my inspiration and my folly. You are my light across the sea, my million nameless joys, and my day's wage. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-are-my-inspiration-and-my-folly-you-are-my-light-across-the-sea/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Men have to do some awfully mean things to keep up their respectability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/men-have-to-do-some-awfully-mean-things-to-keep-up-their/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The schoolmaster is the person who takes the children off the parents' hands for a consideration. That is to say, he establishes a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-schoolmaster-is-the-person-who-takes-the-children-off-the-parents/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/as-long-as-i-have-a-want-i-have-a-reason-for-living-satisfaction-is/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The camera can represent flesh so superbly that, if I dared, I would never photograph a figure without asking that figure to take its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-camera-can-represent-flesh-so-superbly-that-if-i-dared-i-would/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [A man who is not a communist at the age of twenty is a fool. Any man who is still communist at the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-who-is-not-a-communist-at-the-age-of-twenty-is-a-fool-any-man/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [But to admire a strong person and to live under that strong person’s thumb are two different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/but-to-admire-a-strong-person-and-to-live-under-that-strong-person-s/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Socialism is the same as Communism, only better English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/socialism-is-the-same-as-communism-only-better-english/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The person who is ignorant enough to believe that his nourishment depends on meat is in a horrible dilemma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-person-who-is-ignorant-enough-to-believe-that-his-nourishment/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of peace Man is a bungler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-peace-man-is-a-bungler/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) [Explore all 1,640 George Bernard Shaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## More Benevolent quotes > [“But benevolent patriarchy is still patriarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/but-benevolent-patriarchy-is-still-patriarchy/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [Intelligent Design opens the whole possibility of us being created in the image of a benevolent God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/intelligent-design-opens-the-whole-possibility-of-us-being-created-in/) [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) > [The soul of the truly benevolent man does not seem to reside much in his own body. Its life, to a great extent, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/the-soul-of-the-truly-benevolent-man-does-not-seem-to-reside-much-in/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [“There's no pain on earth that doesn't require a benevolent witness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/there-s-no-pain-on-earth-that-doesn-t-require-a-benevolent-witness/) [sue monk kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [You can't have it both ways. You can't have both free will and a benevolent higher power who protects you from yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/you-can-t-have-it-both-ways-you-can-t-have-both-free-will-and-a/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [A universal peace, it is to be feared, is in the catalogue of events, which will never exist but in the imaginations of visionary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/a-universal-peace-it-is-to-be-feared-is-in-the-catalogue-of-events/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [I worship nothing. Not a good lie nor a dark one. If nature is proof of God's amazing creation then I have truly seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-numan/i-worship-nothing-not-a-good-lie-nor-a-dark-one-if-nature-is-proof-of/) [Gary Numan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-numan/) > [What am I writing for anyway? Is it like dreaming? Is it a benevolent process? Something that moves the past forward? And what about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selima-hill/what-am-i-writing-for-anyway-is-it-like-dreaming-is-it-a-benevolent/) [Selima Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selima-hill/) > [The Jews looked for a special savior, a messiah, who was to redeem mankind by the agreeable process of restoring the fabulous glories of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-jews-looked-for-a-special-savior-a-messiah-who-was-to-redeem/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [“It’s okay, buddy!” I shade my eyes and look up at the sky. “Luckily for you, I am both stunningly good-looking and benevolent. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-wolf/it-s-okay-buddy-i-shade-my-eyes-and-look-up-at-the-sky-luckily-for/) [Sara Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-wolf/) > [Nature is not benevolent; Nature is just, gives pound for pound, measure for measure, makes no exceptions, never tempers her decrees with mercy, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/nature-is-not-benevolent-nature-is-just-gives-pound-for-pound-measure/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [“My creed on the subject of slavery is short. Slavery per se is not sin. It is a social condition ordained from the beginning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-morse/my-creed-on-the-subject-of-slavery-is-short-slavery-per-se-is-not-sin/) [Samuel Morse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-morse/) > [The charming aspect of Christmas is the fact that it expresses good will in a cheerful, happy, benevolent, non-sacrificial way. 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