--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Democracy, by its very nature, can't be…" description: "\"Democracy, by its very nature, can't be imposed on people. Democracy has to be the people deciding for themselves.\" — George Soros" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/george-soros-1593_democracies-have_democracy-by-its-very-nature-can-t-be-im_3222589.jpg" --- # Democracy, by its very nature, can't be imposed on people… ![“Democracy, by its very nature, can't be imposed on people. Democracy has to be the people deciding for themselves.” quote by George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/george-soros-1593_democracies-have_democracy-by-its-very-nature-can-t-be-im_3222589.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/george-soros-1593_democracies-have_democracy-by-its-very-nature-can-t-be-im_3222589.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/george-soros-1593_democracies-have_democracy-by-its-very-nature-can-t-be-im_3222589.jpg) > “Democracy, by its very nature, can't be imposed on people. Democracy has to be the people deciding for themselves.” [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Democracy cannot be forced; it must arise from the people's own choice. **In simple terms:** Democracy must be chosen by the people. Key Takeaway Support self‑determination in governance. Themes politics democracy self‑determination culture Mood thoughtful serious Type theoretical inspirational When to use this quote - policy making - civic education - international relations Key Concepts political theory social contract national identity Questions to Reflect On - How can societies foster democratic values voluntarily? - What obstacles hinder people from choosing democracy? A Different Perspective Imposing democracy may cause backlash. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [This democracy is not by the people, of the people, for the people. This democracy is about by the party high command, of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arvind-kejriwal/this-democracy-is-not-by-the-people-of-the-people-for-the-people-this/) [Arvind Kejriwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arvind-kejriwal/) > [I had a really unusual, remarkably unusual father because he, in our family, was the one that suffered the most. He was the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/i-had-a-really-unusual-remarkably-unusual-father-because-he-in-our/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [The other day, someone told me the difference between a democracy and a people's democracy. It's the same difference between a jacket and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-other-day-someone-told-me-the-difference-between-a-democracy-and/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Democracy is always, by nature and constitution, the triumph of mediocrity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indro-montanelli/democracy-is-always-by-nature-and-constitution-the-triumph-of/) [Indro Montanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indro-montanelli/) > [People are deciding - if they don't like a particular point of view or a particular paper, it goes out of business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-kuenssberg/people-are-deciding-if-they-don-t-like-a-particular-point-of-view-or/) [Laura Kuenssberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-kuenssberg/) > [Democracy is, by the nature of it, a self-cancelling business: and gives in the long run a net result of zero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/democracy-is-by-the-nature-of-it-a-self-cancelling-business-and-gives/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Marriage is not easy. You have to decide to work. That's what it really comes down to: two people deciding to stay together or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darius-rucker/marriage-is-not-easy-you-have-to-decide-to-work-that-s-what-it-really/) [Darius Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darius-rucker/) > [But I think we need to remember that democracy everywhere is by its nature incomplete, a work in progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/but-i-think-we-need-to-remember-that-democracy-everywhere-is-by-its/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [You now have the potential of 200 people deciding who ends up being elected president every single time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/you-now-have-the-potential-of-200-people-deciding-who-ends-up-being/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We in the United States are very often - since we are a democracy and we have national interests, we've often made the mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/we-in-the-united-states-are-very-often-since-we-are-a-democracy-and/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [Advocating democracy has, by other people, often been taken as a form of imperialism, and not without some justification. So the important thing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/advocating-democracy-has-by-other-people-often-been-taken-as-a-form/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [Somehow we must be able to show people that democracy is not about words, but action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/somehow-we-must-be-able-to-show-people-that-democracy-is-not-about/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Too many people in the world associate democracy with their ability to go and buy more and more every year. I come from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kersti-kaljulaid/too-many-people-in-the-world-associate-democracy-with-their-ability/) [Kersti Kaljulaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kersti-kaljulaid/) > [“So much hangs on the decisions of a small number of poorly educated people.” “That’s democracy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/so-much-hangs-on-the-decisions-of-a-small-number-of-poorly-educated/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“Democracy in books is, for the people, by the people, democracy on street is rule of the apes in a land of sheep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/democracy-in-books-is-for-the-people-by-the-people-democracy-on/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) ## More by George Soros > [Merkel has realized that the euro is not working, but she cannot change the narrative she has created because that narrative has caught the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/merkel-has-realized-that-the-euro-is-not-working-but-she-cannot/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [Markets are designed to allow individuals to look after their private needs and to pursue profit. It's really a great invention and I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/markets-are-designed-to-allow-individuals-to-look-after-their-private/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [We must not forget; but we must forgive. Suffering often such compassion from the Jewish community. It was Jewish groups in the US who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/we-must-not-forget-but-we-must-forgive-suffering-often-such/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [I very often used to get backaches due to the fact that I was wrong. Whenever you are wrong you have to fight or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/i-very-often-used-to-get-backaches-due-to-the-fact-that-i-was-wrong/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [We are the most powerful nation on earth. No external power, no terrorist organization can defeat us. But we can defeat ourselves by getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/we-are-the-most-powerful-nation-on-earth-no-external-power-no/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [Markets are constantly in a state of uncertainty and flux and money is made by discounting the obvious and betting on the unexpected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/markets-are-constantly-in-a-state-of-uncertainty-and-flux-and-money/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [What works for Germany can't work for the rest of Europe: No country can run a chronic surplus without others running deficits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/what-works-for-germany-can-t-work-for-the-rest-of-europe-no-country/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [If truth be known, I carried some rather potent messianic fantasies with me from childhood which I felt I had to control, otherwise I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/if-truth-be-known-i-carried-some-rather-potent-messianic-fantasies/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [Find the trend whose premise is false, and bet against it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/find-the-trend-whose-premise-is-false-and-bet-against-it/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [ We \[at Soros Fund Management\] use options and more exotic derivatives sparingly. We try to catch new trends early and in later stages we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/we-at-soros-fund-management-use-options-and-more-exotic-derivatives/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [“On the abstract level, I have turned the belief in my own fallibility into the cornerstone of an elaborate philosophy. On a personal level,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/on-the-abstract-level-i-have-turned-the-belief-in-my-own-fallibility/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [The main difference between me and other people who have amassed this kind of money is that I am primarily interested in ideas, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/the-main-difference-between-me-and-other-people-who-have-amassed-this/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [By creating the European Central Bank, the member states exposed their own government bonds to the risk of default. Developed countries that issue bonds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/by-creating-the-european-central-bank-the-member-states-exposed-their/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [Every bubble has two components: something - some real trend, and a misconception about that trend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/every-bubble-has-two-components-something-some-real-trend-and-a/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) [Explore all 225 George Soros quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) ## More Democracies have quotes > [The spirit of democracy cannot be established in the midst of terrorism, whether governmental or popular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-spirit-of-democracy-cannot-be-established-in-the-midst-of/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-strain-of-anti-intellectualism-has-been-a-constant-thread-winding/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [No democracy has ever long survived the failure of its adherents to be ready to die for it. My own conviction is this, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/no-democracy-has-ever-long-survived-the-failure-of-its-adherents-to/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [It is a law of governance that democracies have to spend themselves dizzy. Citizens of democracies can, after all, tell their government to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/it-is-a-law-of-governance-that-democracies-have-to-spend-themselves/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until a majority of voters discover that they can vote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-fraser-tytler/a-democracy-cannot-exist-as-a-permanent-form-of-government-it-can/) [Alexander Fraser Tytler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-fraser-tytler/) > [A pure Democracy, by which I mean a Society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the Government in person,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/a-pure-democracy-by-which-i-mean-a-society-consisting-of-a-small/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/many-forms-of-government-have-been-tried-and-will-be-tried-in-this/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Democracies have been, and governments called, free; but the spirit of independence and the consciousness of unalienable rights, were never before transfused into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-josepha-hale/democracies-have-been-and-governments-called-free-but-the-spirit-of/) [Sarah Josepha Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-josepha-hale/) > [For our democracy has been marred by imperialism, and it has been enlightened only by individual and sporadic efforts at freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-our-democracy-has-been-marred-by-imperialism-and-it-has-been/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [Democracy has many enemies, and the terrorist is only one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/democracy-has-many-enemies-and-the-terrorist-is-only-one-of-them/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [Hence it is that such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/hence-it-is-that-such-democracies-have-ever-been-spectacles-of/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [In Cuba, our experiment is not the best democracy and should not be a reference to anybody elses, it is ours. It has worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/in-cuba-our-experiment-is-not-the-best-democracy-and-should-not-be-a/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [Democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largesse out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-fraser-tytler/democracy-cannot-exist-as-a-permanent-form-of-government-it-can-only/) [Alexander Fraser Tytler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-fraser-tytler/) > [Laws provide against injury from others; but not from ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/laws-provide-against-injury-from-others-but-not-from-ourselves/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [All deductions having been made, democracy has done less harm, and more good, than any other form of government. It gave to human existence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/all-deductions-having-been-made-democracy-has-done-less-harm-and-more/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) Browse all 123 Democracies have quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Democracy, by its very nature, can't be imposed on people. Democracy has to be the people deciding for themselves.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Soros" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/democracy-by-its-very-nature-can-t-be-imposed-on-people-democracy-has/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Democracies have" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/democracy-by-its-very-nature-can-t-be-imposed-on-people-democracy-has/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/george-soros-1593_democracies-have_democracy-by-its-very-nature-can-t-be-im_3222589.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/george-soros-1593_democracies-have_democracy-by-its-very-nature-can-t-be-im_3222589.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/george-soros-1593_democracies-have_democracy-by-its-very-nature-can-t-be-im_3222589.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Democracy, by its very nature, can't be imposed on people. Democracy has to be the people deciding for…” — George Soros", "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 Soros", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Democracy, by its very nature, can't...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/democracy-by-its-very-nature-can-t-be-imposed-on-people-democracy-has/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/democracy-by-its-very-nature-can-t-be-imposed-on-people-democracy-has/#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 } } ] } ```