--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Democracy can't be just for billionaires…" description: "\"Democracy can't be just for billionaires and corporations.\" — Hillary Clinton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/hillary-clinton-51_billionaire_democracy-can-t-be-just-for-billionaires_2909801.jpg" --- # Democracy can't be just for billionaires and corporations. ![“Democracy can't be just for billionaires and corporations.” quote by Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/hillary-clinton-51_billionaire_democracy-can-t-be-just-for-billionaires_2909801.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/hillary-clinton-51_billionaire_democracy-can-t-be-just-for-billionaires_2909801.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/hillary-clinton-51_billionaire_democracy-can-t-be-just-for-billionaires_2909801.jpg) > “Democracy can't be just for billionaires and corporations.” [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Democracy should serve people, not just the wealthy and corporations. **In simple terms:** Democracy must benefit all, not just elites. Key Takeaway Advocate for inclusive policies. Themes politics justice equity Mood activist political Type political social justice When to use this quote - voting rights - campaign finance reform - public services Key Concepts democracy economic policy social welfare Questions to Reflect On - What reforms can reduce elite influence? - How can citizens demand accountability? A Different Perspective Powerful interests resist change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Billionaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billionaire/) [Billionaires Corporations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billionaires-corporations-1838075/) [Corporations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporations/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Democracy Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy-just-1642485/) [Just Billionaires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-billionaires-4184916/) ## Related quotes > [What the Supreme Court did in Citizens United is to say to these same billionaires and the corporations they control: 'You own and control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/what-the-supreme-court-did-in-citizens-united-is-to-say-to-these-same/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Billionaires and corporations buy and sell politicians, while citizens struggle to exercise their right to vote or hold their elected representatives to account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehdi-hasan/billionaires-and-corporations-buy-and-sell-politicians-while-citizens/) [Mehdi Hasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehdi-hasan/) > [Democracy is just a word. You have to give it meaning. The US is not a democracy. Most Americans do not vote. We haven't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-clark/democracy-is-just-a-word-you-have-to-give-it-meaning-the-us-is-not-a/) [Ramsey Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-clark/) > [Prosperity can't be just for CEOs and hedge fund managers. Democracy can't be just for billionaires and corporations. Prosperity and democracy are part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/prosperity-can-t-be-just-for-ceos-and-hedge-fund-managers-democracy/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [If we're going to be successful in taking on the billionaire class, we need a strong national grassroots movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-we-re-going-to-be-successful-in-taking-on-the-billionaire-class-we/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [While Donald Trump was busy with his accountants trying to figure out how to keep living like a billionaire, and all the while he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/while-donald-trump-was-busy-with-his-accountants-trying-to-figure-out/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Today, you've got hedge fund billionaires aligned with Karl Rove, running ads against me to try to get Democrats to vote for you \[Bernie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/today-you-ve-got-hedge-fund-billionaires-aligned-with-karl-rove/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [We have undocumented immigrants in America who are paying more federal income tax than a billionaire. I find that just astonishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-have-undocumented-immigrants-in-america-who-are-paying-more/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Democracy is just a word when the people are starving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immortal-technique/democracy-is-just-a-word-when-the-people-are-starving/) [Immortal Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immortal-technique/) > [That romantic notion of a band being a total democracy is just like lying to yourself in the mirror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-bixler-zavala/that-romantic-notion-of-a-band-being-a-total-democracy-is-just-like/) [Cedric Bixler-Zavala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-bixler-zavala/) > [The degree to which campaigns have become dominated by marketing is breaking the spirit of democracy, and we're all just so sick of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-weinberger/the-degree-to-which-campaigns-have-become-dominated-by-marketing-is/) [David Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-weinberger/) > [“The real reason for democracy is just the reverse. Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-real-reason-for-democracy-is-just-the-reverse-mankind-is-so/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [Democracy is not just constitutional and legislative rules; it is a culture and practice and adhering by the law and respecting international human rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamad-bin-isa-al-khalifa/democracy-is-not-just-constitutional-and-legislative-rules-it-is-a/) [Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamad-bin-isa-al-khalifa/) > [What I would say is that in its first iteration, Extinction Rebellion is really about democracy, by calling in for these new democratic forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/what-i-would-say-is-that-in-its-first-iteration-extinction-rebellion/) [Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/) > [Democracy is not just freedom to criticize the government or head of state, or to hold parliamentary elections. True democracy obtains only when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/democracy-is-not-just-freedom-to-criticize-the-government-or-head-of/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) ## More by Hillary Clinton > [When it comes to bullying small businesses, Donald Trump is the poster boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/when-it-comes-to-bullying-small-businesses-donald-trump-is-the-poster/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I'm going to do everything I can to get myself elected, but that's not enough. I'm going to try to help move the Senate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-m-going-to-do-everything-i-can-to-get-myself-elected-but-that-s-not/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I think we have to take a look at corporate law. We have to take a look at the incentives that we can perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-think-we-have-to-take-a-look-at-corporate-law-we-have-to-take-a/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-that-i-ve-spent-trying-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [We know in New York we have several million at any one time who are in New York illegally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-know-in-new-york-we-have-several-million-at-any-one-time-who-are/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I have always believed that women are not victims, we are agents of change, we are drivers of progress, we are makers of peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-have-always-believed-that-women-are-not-victims-we-are-agents-of/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I have clearly said we faced terrorist enemies who use Islam to justify slaughtering innocent people and we have to stop them and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-have-clearly-said-we-faced-terrorist-enemies-who-use-islam-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [If I had lost the popular vote but won the electoral college and in my first day as president the intelligence community came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-i-had-lost-the-popular-vote-but-won-the-electoral-college-and-in/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [We now have power under the Dodd-Frank legislation to break up banks. And I've said I will use that power if they pose a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-now-have-power-under-the-dodd-frank-legislation-to-break-up-banks/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I am not going to make promises I can't keep. I am not going to talk about big ideas like single-payer and then not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-not-going-to-make-promises-i-can-t-keep-i-am-not-going-to-talk/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [It's important to recognize that expanding the circle of opportunity and increasing the democratic potential of our own society, as well as those across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-s-important-to-recognize-that-expanding-the-circle-of-opportunity/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [We're living in a technological world. You cannot tell me we can't do a better job getting that information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-re-living-in-a-technological-world-you-cannot-tell-me-we-can-t-do/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I do not think homosexuality is immoral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-do-not-think-homosexuality-is-immoral/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [We need to have more second chance programs. I'm glad that we're ending private prisons in the federal system; I want to see them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-need-to-have-more-second-chance-programs-i-m-glad-that-we-re/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [A nuclear-weapons armed Iran is not in anyone's human-rights interests. That is a direct threat to the lives and the livelihoods and the stability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/a-nuclear-weapons-armed-iran-is-not-in-anyone-s-human-rights/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) [Explore all 1,911 Hillary Clinton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) ## More Billionaire quotes > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [“The candidate who billed himself as a billionaire—ten times over—refused even to invest his own money in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-candidate-who-billed-himself-as-a-billionaire-ten-times-over/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“In general, poor is polite and rich is rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-general-poor-is-polite-and-rich-is-rude/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [If I could set a world record, it would be that I have 150 business partners, all with thriving businesses of their own that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-corcoran/if-i-could-set-a-world-record-it-would-be-that-i-have-150-business/) [Barbara Corcoran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-corcoran/) > [A government run by billionaires for billionaires is an affront to freedom and morality and humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/a-government-run-by-billionaires-for-billionaires-is-an-affront-to/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [The reaction of weak management to weak operations is often weak accounting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/the-reaction-of-weak-management-to-weak-operations-is-often-weak/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [“People don’t make too much money around here, but what comes with that is a different definition of what it means to be well-off.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/people-don-t-make-too-much-money-around-here-but-what-comes-with-that/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [The biggest risk is not taking any risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/the-biggest-risk-is-not-taking-any-risk/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [Message to the billionaire class: You can't have it all!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/message-to-the-billionaire-class-you-can-t-have-it-all/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Every decision I make is, 'How is this helping me become a billionaire?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/draymond-green/every-decision-i-make-is-how-is-this-helping-me-become-a-billionaire/) [Draymond Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/draymond-green/) > [“A Debt Problem Is, At Its Core, a Budgeting Problem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-pace/a-debt-problem-is-at-its-core-a-budgeting-problem/) [Natalie Pace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-pace/) > ['I don't need brains,' says the billionaire contemptuously. 'I'm brainy enough myself!' The broker cries out in desperation, 'What, in heaven's name, do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/i-don-t-need-brains-says-the-billionaire-contemptuously-i-m-brainy/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [I know a lot of people in the city, at all levels, horizontally and vertically - and that to me is a privilege, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-know-a-lot-of-people-in-the-city-at-all-levels-horizontally-and/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [As a result of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, American democracy is being undermined by the ability of the Koch brothers and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/as-a-result-of-the-citizens-united-supreme-court-decision-american/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I believe in a society where all people do well. Not just a handful of billionaires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anderson-cooper/i-believe-in-a-society-where-all-people-do-well-not-just-a-handful-of/) [Anderson Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anderson-cooper/) [Browse all 356 Billionaire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billionaire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Democracy can't be just for billionaires and corporations.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hillary Clinton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/democracy-can-t-be-just-for-billionaires-and-corporations/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Billionaire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/democracy-can-t-be-just-for-billionaires-and-corporations/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/hillary-clinton-51_billionaire_democracy-can-t-be-just-for-billionaires_2909801.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/hillary-clinton-51_billionaire_democracy-can-t-be-just-for-billionaires_2909801.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/hillary-clinton-51_billionaire_democracy-can-t-be-just-for-billionaires_2909801.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Democracy can't be just for billionaires and corporations.” — Hillary Clinton", "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": "Hillary Clinton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Democracy can't be just for billionaires...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/democracy-can-t-be-just-for-billionaires-and-corporations/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/democracy-can-t-be-just-for-billionaires-and-corporations/#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 } } ] } ```