--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The essence of constitutionalism in a…" description: "\"The essence of constitutionalism in a democracy is not merely to shape and condition the nature of majorities, but also to stipulate that certain thing..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/george-will-1177_certain_the-essence-of-constitutionalism-in-a-de_710230.jpg" --- # The essence of constitutionalism in a democracy is not… ![“The essence of constitutionalism in a democracy is not merely to shape and condition the nature of majorities, but also to stipulate that certain things are impermissible, no matter how large and fervent a majority might want them.” quote by George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/george-will-1177_certain_the-essence-of-constitutionalism-in-a-de_710230.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/george-will-1177_certain_the-essence-of-constitutionalism-in-a-de_710230.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/george-will-1177_certain_the-essence-of-constitutionalism-in-a-de_710230.jpg) > “The essence of constitutionalism in a democracy is not merely to shape and condition the nature of majorities, but also to stipulate that certain things are impermissible, no matter how large and fervent a majority might want them.” [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Democracy must limit majority power to protect fundamental rights, even against popular will. **In simple terms:** Majorities can’t override basic rights. Key Takeaway Guard minority rights against majority excess. Themes democracy rights majority rule constitutional limits Mood thoughtful serious Type political philosophical When to use this quote - legislative voting - court decisions - public policy debates Key Concepts liberalism rule of law Questions to Reflect On - How should societies handle majority desires that threaten rights? - What mechanisms best protect minorities? A Different Perspective Balancing popular will with constitutional safeguards is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Constitutionalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitutionalism/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) ## Related quotes > [Modern Americans travel light, with little philosophic baggage other than a fervent belief in their right to the pursuit of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/modern-americans-travel-light-with-little-philosophic-baggage-other/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Devotion is the essence of the path, and if we have in mind nothing but the guru and feel nothing but fervent devotion, whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dilgo-khyentse-rinpoche/devotion-is-the-essence-of-the-path-and-if-we-have-in-mind-nothing/) [Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dilgo-khyentse-rinpoche/) > [“Our Constitution is based on three fundamentals, which form the core of constitutionalism. They are: (1)A written Constitution (2)A chapter on fundamental rights (3)Limited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justice-asok-kumar-ganguly/our-constitution-is-based-on-three-fundamentals-which-form-the-core/) [Justice Asok Kumar Ganguly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justice-asok-kumar-ganguly/) > [There is "no happiness without liberty, no liberty without self-government, no self-government without constitutionalism, no constitutionalism without morality--and none of these great goods without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clinton-rossiter/there-is-no-happiness-without-liberty-no-liberty-without-self/) [Clinton Rossiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clinton-rossiter/) > [One should study the Bible alongside other intellectual traditions - such as British constitutionalism, Enlightenment liberalism, and classical republicanism - in order to truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-l-dreisbach/one-should-study-the-bible-alongside-other-intellectual-traditions/) [Daniel L Dreisbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-l-dreisbach/) > [“Whereas in Western countries the constitution merely had to guarantee the rights of a per-existing civil society and culture, in Russia it also had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orlando-figes/whereas-in-western-countries-the-constitution-merely-had-to-guarantee/) [Orlando Figes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orlando-figes/) > [“Constitutionalism as a guiding political tendency will require careful and thoughtful development, as did jurisprudential originalism. But its wide appeal and philosophical depth make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/constitutionalism-as-a-guiding-political-tendency-will-require/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“English political sagacity is compounded of instinctive reactions to immediate situations and a wisdom, gained by cumulative experience, which guides instinct through the complexities,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-neibuhr/english-political-sagacity-is-compounded-of-instinctive-reactions-to/) Reinhold Neibuhr > [Since the revolution of the 18th century, America has basically had an ideology of liberal democracy and constitutionalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/since-the-revolution-of-the-18th-century-america-has-basically-had-an/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [If you accept that conservatism equals constitutionalism - and I do - well, then, where do we start? We do we start reinstituting all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/if-you-accept-that-conservatism-equals-constitutionalism-and-i-do/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The Tea Party has imparted political energy to common-sense American constitutionalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/the-tea-party-has-imparted-political-energy-to-common-sense-american/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [“The People’s Daily summoned the language of another era and warned that constitutionalism, the call to put the Party under the rule of law,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-osnos/the-people-s-daily-summoned-the-language-of-another-era-and-warned/) [Evan Osnos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-osnos/) > [My deep sense of alarm has to do with Donald Trump's seeming lack of fealty to constitutionalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/my-deep-sense-of-alarm-has-to-do-with-donald-trump-s-seeming-lack-of/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [ \[John\] Adams identified himself with the political theories of \[James\] Harrington, \[John\] Locke, and \[Charles-Louis\] Montesquieu, whose ideas of constitutionalism, he believed, were applicable… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/john-adams-identified-himself-with-the-political-theories-of-james/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [It is also plausible that those movements with the greatest inner contradiction and between profession and practice - that is to say with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-also-plausible-that-those-movements-with-the-greatest-inner/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) ## More by George Will > [The average American expends more time becoming informed about choosing a car than choosing a candidate. But, then, the consequences of the former choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-average-american-expends-more-time-becoming-informed-about/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Pettiness is the tendency of people without large purposes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/pettiness-is-the-tendency-of-people-without-large-purposes/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [A politician's words reveal less about what he thinks about his subject than what he thinks about his audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/a-politician-s-words-reveal-less-about-what-he-thinks-about-his/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [As has been said, standards are always out of date - that is why we call them standards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/as-has-been-said-standards-are-always-out-of-date-that-is-why-we-call/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Hart is still like that little tub of vaguely milklike gunk that comes with airline coffee. It is labeled a "nondairy" product. Fine: we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/hart-is-still-like-that-little-tub-of-vaguely-milklike-gunk-that/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [The realistic way to reduce the amount of money in politics is to reduce the amount of politics in money -- the importance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-realistic-way-to-reduce-the-amount-of-money-in-politics-is-to/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [It is important that Miers not be confirmed unless, in her 61st year, she suddenly and unexpectedly is found to have hitherto undisclosed interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/it-is-important-that-miers-not-be-confirmed-unless-in-her-61st-year/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Greek philosophers considered sport a religious and civic-in a word, moral-undertaking. Sport, they said, is morally serious because mankind's noblest aim is the loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/greek-philosophers-considered-sport-a-religious-and-civic-in-a-word/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [The cultivation - even celebration - of victimhood by intellectuals, tort lawyers, politicians and the media is both cause and effect of today's culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-cultivation-even-celebration-of-victimhood-by-intellectuals-tort/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [When I'm in my car, I'm listening to books, audio books, always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/when-i-m-in-my-car-i-m-listening-to-books-audio-books-always/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Just as the common law derives from ancient precedents - judges' decisions - rather than statutes, baseball's codes are the game's distilled mores. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/just-as-the-common-law-derives-from-ancient-precedents-judges/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [“Football combines two of the worst things in American life. It is violence punctuated by committee meetings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/football-combines-two-of-the-worst-things-in-american-life-it-is/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [I've lived in Washington now for 44 years, and that's a lot of folly to witness up close. Whatever confidence and optimism I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/i-ve-lived-in-washington-now-for-44-years-and-that-s-a-lot-of-folly/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [The business of America is not business. Neither is it war. The business of america is justice and securing the blessings of liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-business-of-america-is-not-business-neither-is-it-war-the/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Freedom is not only the absence of external restraints. It is also the absence of irresistible internal compulsions, unmanageable passion, and uncensorable highlights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/freedom-is-not-only-the-absence-of-external-restraints-it-is-also-the/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) [Explore all 279 George Will quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) ## More Certain quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) Riffat Hassan > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/) T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/) [Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) Browse all 13,673 Certain quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The essence of constitutionalism in a democracy is not merely to shape and condition the nature of majorities, but also to stipulate that certain things are impermissible, no matter how large and fervent a majority might want them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Will" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-essence-of-constitutionalism-in-a-democracy-is-not-merely-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-essence-of-constitutionalism-in-a-democracy-is-not-merely-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/george-will-1177_certain_the-essence-of-constitutionalism-in-a-de_710230.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/george-will-1177_certain_the-essence-of-constitutionalism-in-a-de_710230.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/817/george-will-1177_certain_the-essence-of-constitutionalism-in-a-de_710230.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The essence of constitutionalism in a democracy is not merely to shape and condition the nature of…” — George Will", "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 Will", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The essence of constitutionalism in a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-essence-of-constitutionalism-in-a-democracy-is-not-merely-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-essence-of-constitutionalism-in-a-democracy-is-not-merely-to/#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 } } ] } ```