--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't know how we continue to do…" description: "\"I don't know how we continue to do politics in a democracy if we simply can't listen to one another, if we simply close the door and say you are beyond..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/george-packer-2917_democracy_i-don-t-know-how-we-continue-to-do-polit_1251849.png" --- # I don't know how we continue to do politics in a democracy… ![“I don't know how we continue to do politics in a democracy if we simply can't listen to one another, if we simply close the door and say you are beyond redemption.” quote by George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/george-packer-2917_democracy_i-don-t-know-how-we-continue-to-do-polit_1251849.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/george-packer-2917_democracy_i-don-t-know-how-we-continue-to-do-polit_1251849.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/george-packer-2917_democracy_i-don-t-know-how-we-continue-to-do-polit_1251849.png) > “I don't know how we continue to do politics in a democracy if we simply can't listen to one another, if we simply close the door and say you are beyond redemption.” [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Democracy fails when citizens stop listening and dismiss opponents as irredeemable, undermining political dialogue. **In simple terms:** Democracy needs listening; otherwise it collapses. Key Takeaway Cultivate listening to sustain democracy. Themes politics dialogue polarization Mood urgent thoughtful concerned Type political inspirational When to use this quote - voting - community meetings - online discussions - education programs Key Concepts civic engagement psychology ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can you practice listening to opposing views? - What steps can rebuild trust in political discourse? A Different Perspective Listening alone isn’t enough without genuine empathy and action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Redemption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/redemption/) ## Related quotes > [After January 6, people ask me, 'Are you going to continue to be in politics? Are you doing to do this?' And I said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-kim/after-january-6-people-ask-me-are-you-going-to-continue-to-be-in/) [Andy Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-kim/) > [“democracy is not simply order and rationality displayed in voting, structured decision making, and legislating, but that it also and necessarily is contentious affect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-disalvo/democracy-is-not-simply-order-and-rationality-displayed-in-voting/) Carl DiSalvo > [The problem is that democracy is not freedom. Democracy is simply majoritarianism, which is inherently incompatible with real freedom. Our founding fathers clearly understood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/the-problem-is-that-democracy-is-not-freedom-democracy-is-simply/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Democracy is not simply a question of structures. It is a state of mind. It is an activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/democracy-is-not-simply-a-question-of-structures-it-is-a-state-of/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [Democracy is not simply a political system; it is a moral movement and it springs from adventurous faith in human possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/democracy-is-not-simply-a-political-system-it-is-a-moral-movement-and/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [“Democracy is not simply a license to indulge individual whims and proclivities. It is also holding oneself accountable to some reasonable degree for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/democracy-is-not-simply-a-license-to-indulge-individual-whims-and/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [Democracy is not simply a question of structures. It is a state of mind. It is an activity. And part of that activity is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/democracy-is-not-simply-a-question-of-structures-it-is-a-state-of-2/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [Politics in a democracy is, at the end, an educational process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/politics-in-a-democracy-is-at-the-end-an-educational-process/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [You can separate corruption from politics only when democracy becomes government of the people, for the people and by the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/you-can-separate-corruption-from-politics-only-when-democracy-becomes/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [I don't want to get involved in Australian politics. You are a democracy, and Australian people should decide who they will vote for and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geert-wilders/i-don-t-want-to-get-involved-in-australian-politics-you-are-a/) [Geert Wilders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geert-wilders/) > [Nobody who's thought about politics or democracy over the thousands of years that people have been thinking about democracy hasn't come up against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/nobody-who-s-thought-about-politics-or-democracy-over-the-thousands/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [Whether for good or evil, it is sadly inevitable that all political leadership requires the artifices of theatrical illusion. In the politics of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/whether-for-good-or-evil-it-is-sadly-inevitable-that-all-political/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [I am aware that one should always make room for renewal in politics. A democracy is the healthier for the turnover of the depth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-brown/i-am-aware-that-one-should-always-make-room-for-renewal-in-politics-a/) [Bob Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-brown/) > [“In politics democracy itself is at stake in this world of high-speed always-on news. Political reporters pronounce sudden verdicts upon the politicians they often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hargreaves/in-politics-democracy-itself-is-at-stake-in-this-world-of-high-speed/) [Ian Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hargreaves/) > [The first lesson of politics or, at least, democracy is that it is a government by the people and for the people, isn't it?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/urmila-matondkar/the-first-lesson-of-politics-or-at-least-democracy-is-that-it-is-a/) [Urmila Matondkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/urmila-matondkar/) ## More by George Packer > [I don't think they need to be nice to reporters, but the White House seems to imagine that releasing information is like a tap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-don-t-think-they-need-to-be-nice-to-reporters-but-the-white-house/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [So many writers grew up in tortured isolation, in revolt against their families. I and my sister were in a house where writing was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/so-many-writers-grew-up-in-tortured-isolation-in-revolt-against-their/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Afghanistan can't police its borders, and its neighbors give sanctuary and assistance to insurgents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/afghanistan-can-t-police-its-borders-and-its-neighbors-give-sanctuary/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Hillary Clinton's such a classic Democratic political figure and believes so much in institutions and in gradualism in the old way of reaching compromises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/hillary-clinton-s-such-a-classic-democratic-political-figure-and/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [“In other words, Foxx represented what Sarah Palin (speaking at a campaign fundraiser in Greensboro three weeks before the election) called “the real America,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/in-other-words-foxx-represented-what-sarah-palin-speaking-at-a/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [America's vast population of working poor can only get so poor before even Walmart is out of reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/america-s-vast-population-of-working-poor-can-only-get-so-poor-before/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [The Olympics are never just about sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/the-olympics-are-never-just-about-sports/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > ['The Assassins' Gate' is a very tightly controlled story of the ideas that led to the war and the consequences of those ideas in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/the-assassins-gate-is-a-very-tightly-controlled-story-of-the-ideas/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Amazon's identity and goals are never clear and always fluid, which makes the company destabilizing and intimidating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/amazon-s-identity-and-goals-are-never-clear-and-always-fluid-which/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Ideology knows the answer before the question has been asked. Principles are something different: a set of values that have to be adapted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/ideology-knows-the-answer-before-the-question-has-been-asked/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Everything seems set up for success in digital journalism - money, eyeballs, software, brands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/everything-seems-set-up-for-success-in-digital-journalism-money/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Climate change joined immigration, job creation, food safety, pilot training, veterans' care, campaign finance, transportation security, labor law, mine safety, wildfire management, and scores…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/climate-change-joined-immigration-job-creation-food-safety-pilot/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Much of the international unease with the Sochi Games has focused on the threat of terrorism, Putin's domestic repressiveness, and the Russian campaign of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/much-of-the-international-unease-with-the-sochi-games-has-focused-on/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [I've been interested in American politics since I was eight. That was in 1968. It was an interesting year. I was a huge Eugene…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-ve-been-interested-in-american-politics-since-i-was-eight-that-was/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [When I interviewed Paul Bremer in his office, he had almost no books on his shelves. He had a couple of management books, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/when-i-interviewed-paul-bremer-in-his-office-he-had-almost-no-books/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) [Explore all 144 George Packer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) ## More Democracy quotes > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [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/) > [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [For not only every democracy, but certainly every republic, bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-not-only-every-democracy-but-certainly-every-republic-bears/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [There is plenty of time for Republicans to have a Macaca moment. 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. This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Failure to find a way to incorporate political Islam in democracy, however uncomfortable its ideology is for secular liberals, will mean we have given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispin-blunt/failure-to-find-a-way-to-incorporate-political-islam-in-democracy/) [Crispin Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crispin-blunt/) > [In a democratic nation, power must be linked with responsibility, and obliged to defend and justify itself within the framework of the general good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/in-a-democratic-nation-power-must-be-linked-with-responsibility-and/) [Franklin D. 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. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) > [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Browse all 11,220 Democracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't know how we continue to do politics in a democracy if we simply can't listen to one another, if we simply close the door and say you are beyond redemption.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Packer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-don-t-know-how-we-continue-to-do-politics-in-a-democracy-if-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Democracy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-don-t-know-how-we-continue-to-do-politics-in-a-democracy-if-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/george-packer-2917_democracy_i-don-t-know-how-we-continue-to-do-polit_1251849.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/george-packer-2917_democracy_i-don-t-know-how-we-continue-to-do-polit_1251849.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/623/george-packer-2917_democracy_i-don-t-know-how-we-continue-to-do-polit_1251849.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't know how we continue to do politics in a democracy if we simply can't listen to one another, if we…” — George Packer", "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": "George Packer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't know how we continue...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-don-t-know-how-we-continue-to-do-politics-in-a-democracy-if-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-don-t-know-how-we-continue-to-do-politics-in-a-democracy-if-we/#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 } } ] } ```