--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Self-esteem is the basis of any democracy" description: "\"Self-esteem is the basis of any democracy\" — Gloria Steinem" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/gloria-steinem-277_bases_self-esteem-is-the-basis-of-any-democrac_1162939.jpg" --- # Self-esteem is the basis of any democracy ![“Self-esteem is the basis of any democracy” quote by Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/gloria-steinem-277_bases_self-esteem-is-the-basis-of-any-democrac_1162939.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/gloria-steinem-277_bases_self-esteem-is-the-basis-of-any-democrac_1162939.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/gloria-steinem-277_bases_self-esteem-is-the-basis-of-any-democrac_1162939.jpg) > “Self-esteem is the basis of any democracy” [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑esteem underpins democratic participation and societal health. **In simple terms:** Self‑esteem is essential for democracy. Key Takeaway Foster confidence in citizens. Themes politics psychology human rights Mood empowering serious Type political philosophical When to use this quote - education programs - community workshops - media campaigns Key Concepts civic engagement self‑worth Questions to Reflect On - How does self‑esteem influence voting behavior? - What can institutions do to boost public confidence? A Different Perspective Other factors like education and rights also matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/esteem/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-esteem/) ## Related quotes > [“You should not be esteemed by others if you have no real inner virtue. People here in Japan esteem others on the basis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/you-should-not-be-esteemed-by-others-if-you-have-no-real-inner-virtue/) [Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) > [The basis of democracy is tolerance to criticism. If you can't face criticism, if you can't accept it, then you cannot guard democracy, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-basis-of-democracy-is-tolerance-to-criticism-if-you-can-t-face/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Self-esteem is the basis for feminism because self-esteem is based on defining yourself and believing in that definition. Self-esteem is regarding yourself as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-faludi/self-esteem-is-the-basis-for-feminism-because-self-esteem-is-based-on/) [Susan Faludi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-faludi/) > [“I began to understand that self-esteem isn’t everything; it’s just that there’s nothing without it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-began-to-understand-that-self-esteem-isn-t-everything-it-s-just/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I'm still the same person who grew up mostly in a Midwestern, factory-working neighborhood where talk about "self-esteem" would have seemed like a luxury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-m-still-the-same-person-who-grew-up-mostly-in-a-midwestern-factory/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [With the realization of ones own potential and self-confidence in ones ability, one can build a better world. According to my own experience, self-confidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/with-the-realization-of-ones-own-potential-and-self-confidence-in/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Determination and persistence are melded together. Their basis comes from people who stay hungry and don't allow themselves to get too comfortable. Entering a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/determination-and-persistence-are-melded-together-their-basis-comes/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [Judaism is the best basis for democracy. The debate between the House of Hillel and the House of Shammai, the constant debate, has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-gantz/judaism-is-the-best-basis-for-democracy-the-debate-between-the-house/) [Benny Gantz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-gantz/) > [“The United States inherited a seemingly inexhaustible fortune in natural resources, yet it has responded to its environment with a dismaying mixture of materialism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmo-richardson/the-united-states-inherited-a-seemingly-inexhaustible-fortune-in/) Elmo Richardson > [Isn't the basis of a democracy to send somebody to Washington to bring something back for you? ... It isn't?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/isn-t-the-basis-of-a-democracy-to-send-somebody-to-washington-to/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [Envy is the basis of democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/envy-is-the-basis-of-democracy/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Once you don't vote your ideals... that has serious undermining affects. It erodes the moral basis of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/once-you-don-t-vote-your-ideals-that-has-serious-undermining-affects/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [The Declaration of Independence dogmatically bases all rights on the fact that God created all men equal; and it is right; for if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-declaration-of-independence-dogmatically-bases-all-rights-on-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The principles and form of government that form the basis of democracy are compatible with Islamic values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fethullah-gulen/the-principles-and-form-of-government-that-form-the-basis-of/) [Fethullah Gulen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fethullah-gulen/) > [“There is no basis for democracy except in a dogma about the divine origin of man. That is a perfectly simple fact which the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/there-is-no-basis-for-democracy-except-in-a-dogma-about-the-divine/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) ## More by Gloria Steinem > [People waste more time waiting for someone to take charge of their lives than they do in any other pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/people-waste-more-time-waiting-for-someone-to-take-charge-of-their/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Nothing will happen automatically. Change depends on what you and I do every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/nothing-will-happen-automatically-change-depends-on-what-you-and-i-do/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Women are never again going to be mindless coffee-makers or mindless policy-makers in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/women-are-never-again-going-to-be-mindless-coffee-makers-or-mindless/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [We will live to see the day that St. Patrick's Cathedral is a child-care center and the pope is no longer a disgrace to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-will-live-to-see-the-day-that-st-patrick-s-cathedral-is-a-child/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Just when you thought multi-nationals and crazed consumerism were too big to fight, along comes Naomi Klein with facts, spirit, and news of successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/just-when-you-thought-multi-nationals-and-crazed-consumerism-were-too/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-started-out-life-as-a-writer-and-writers-write-in-part-because-they/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Proust's tea cake has nothing on one hour in a college dorm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/proust-s-tea-cake-has-nothing-on-one-hour-in-a-college-dorm/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Sadomasochiasm - which we know very well doesn't exist in societies that don't have child abuse - is regarded some sort of natural sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/sadomasochiasm-which-we-know-very-well-doesn-t-exist-in-societies/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Behave like everything you do matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/behave-like-everything-you-do-matters/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Part of traveling over years means coming back to the same place and knowing it for the first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/part-of-traveling-over-years-means-coming-back-to-the-same-place-and/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [If you say, I'm for equal pay, that's a reform. But if you say. I'm a feminist, that's a transformation of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-you-say-i-m-for-equal-pay-that-s-a-reform-but-if-you-say-i-m-a/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I think that part of everybody's success is due to their looks, but it just works in different ways. If you're whatever society calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-think-that-part-of-everybody-s-success-is-due-to-their-looks-but-it/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Of course, we can change. We're very adaptable. But it takes a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/of-course-we-can-change-we-re-very-adaptable-but-it-takes-a-while/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) [Explore all 766 Gloria Steinem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## More Bases quotes > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [I don't want to go into space because of war. 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He went to Calvary's cross, and all my guilt was charged against Him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-allen-ironside/when-the-lord-jesus-christ-became-my-surety-he-went-to-calvary-s/) [Henry Allen Ironside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-allen-ironside/) > [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/) [Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/) > [This tendency to avoid problems and the emotional suffering inherent in them is the primary basis of all human mental illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/this-tendency-to-avoid-problems-and-the-emotional-suffering-inherent/) [Charles R. 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That is a dramatic situation, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/we-have-committed-ourselves-to-pursue-joint-policies-but-then/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) Browse all 2,701 Bases quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Self-esteem is the basis of any democracy", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gloria Steinem" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/self-esteem-is-the-basis-of-any-democracy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bases" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/self-esteem-is-the-basis-of-any-democracy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/gloria-steinem-277_bases_self-esteem-is-the-basis-of-any-democrac_1162939.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/gloria-steinem-277_bases_self-esteem-is-the-basis-of-any-democrac_1162939.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac6/gloria-steinem-277_bases_self-esteem-is-the-basis-of-any-democrac_1162939.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Self-esteem is the basis of any democracy” — Gloria Steinem", "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": "Gloria Steinem", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Self-esteem is the basis of any...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/self-esteem-is-the-basis-of-any-democracy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/self-esteem-is-the-basis-of-any-democracy/#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 } } ] } ```