--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Americans tend to focus on external…" description: "\"Americans tend to focus on external threats to our democracy: foreign adversaries wielding disinformation and subversion. But the most serious dangers ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/jamelle-bouie-5467_democracy_americans-tend-to-focus-on-external-thre_467172.jpg" --- # Americans tend to focus on external threats to our… ![“Americans tend to focus on external threats to our democracy: foreign adversaries wielding disinformation and subversion. But the most serious dangers have always come from inside the house, products of our own demons and dysfunctions.” quote by Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/jamelle-bouie-5467_democracy_americans-tend-to-focus-on-external-thre_467172.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/jamelle-bouie-5467_democracy_americans-tend-to-focus-on-external-thre_467172.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/jamelle-bouie-5467_democracy_americans-tend-to-focus-on-external-thre_467172.jpg) > “Americans tend to focus on external threats to our democracy: foreign adversaries wielding disinformation and subversion. But the most serious dangers have always come from inside the house, products of our own demons and dysfunctions.” [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Democratic threats are often internal, stemming from societal flaws and personal failings, not just external enemies. **In simple terms:** Internal problems can harm democracy more than outsiders. Key Takeaway Address internal issues first. Themes politics democracy societal health Mood critical concerned Type analysis commentary When to use this quote - elections - policy making - public discourse - media consumption Key Concepts internal threats media polarization institutional decay Questions to Reflect On - What internal challenges does your community face? - How can citizens strengthen democratic norms? A Different Perspective Focusing only on external threats can blind us to deeper problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Demons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demons/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Threats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threats/) ## Related quotes > [If you look at great human civilizations, from the Roman Empire to the Soviet Union, you will see that most do not fail simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/if-you-look-at-great-human-civilizations-from-the-roman-empire-to-the/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [From making it harder to register and stay on the rolls to moving and closing polling places to rejecting lawful ballots, we can no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-abrams/from-making-it-harder-to-register-and-stay-on-the-rolls-to-moving-and/) [Stacey Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-abrams/) > [The potential for the abuse of power through digital networks - upon which we the people now depend for nearly everything, including our politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/the-potential-for-the-abuse-of-power-through-digital-networks-upon/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [The threats against democracy today are in general completely normal. They walk around in costume and tie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-b-hamilton/the-threats-against-democracy-today-are-in-general-completely-normal/) Carl B. Hamilton > [This has all the appearance of a foreign power trying to undermine structures of legitimacy of an American election. That is a serious matter.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerson/this-has-all-the-appearance-of-a-foreign-power-trying-to-undermine/) [Michael Gerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerson/) > [I think that it's very important to have the United States' engagement in many situations we have around the world, be it in Syria,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-guterres/i-think-that-it-s-very-important-to-have-the-united-states-engagement/) [Antonio Guterres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-guterres/) > [As a lawyer, as a former prosecutor, and as a son and grandson of foreign-service officers who tried to represent American democracy in foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/as-a-lawyer-as-a-former-prosecutor-and-as-a-son-and-grandson-of/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [There is no more dangerous thing for a democracy than a foreign policy based on presidential preventive war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/there-is-no-more-dangerous-thing-for-a-democracy-than-a-foreign/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Our foreign adversaries tried to divide us and stop us from supporting Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/our-foreign-adversaries-tried-to-divide-us-and-stop-us-from/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [As individuals and as a nation we have become dependent on a vast digital infrastructure. That, in turn, has made us vulnerable to cybercriminals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barr/as-individuals-and-as-a-nation-we-have-become-dependent-on-a-vast/) [William Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barr/) > [Abraham Lincoln once noted that 'the ballot is stronger than the bullet.' Foreign adversaries, who can't match the military, economic or diplomatic power of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-c-o-brien/abraham-lincoln-once-noted-that-the-ballot-is-stronger-than-the/) [Robert C. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-c-o-brien/) > [For too long, foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party have infiltrated academia to spy on the United States, steal our information, and gain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-james/for-too-long-foreign-adversaries-like-the-chinese-communist-party/) [John E. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-james/) > [National security is not just things that go boom. It is not just terrorists and foreign adversaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wittes/national-security-is-not-just-things-that-go-boom-it-is-not-just/) [Benjamin Wittes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wittes/) > [The Internet allows foreign adversaries to attack America in new and unexpected ways. Free and fair elections are hard-fought and contentious. There will always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-rosenstein/the-internet-allows-foreign-adversaries-to-attack-america-in-new-and/) [Rod Rosenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-rosenstein/) > [It's much more important for U.S. to be able to defend against foreign attacks than it is to be able to launch successful attacks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-s-much-more-important-for-u-s-to-be-able-to-defend-against-foreign/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) ## More by Jamelle Bouie > [The 2020 presidential election was arguably the most secure - and among the most scrutinized - in American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/the-2020-presidential-election-was-arguably-the-most-secure-and-among/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Racial hysteria has been a part of many winning campaigns in our country. But it's rarely the only part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/racial-hysteria-has-been-a-part-of-many-winning-campaigns-in-our/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Texas's official hostility toward gender nonconforming children has had the predictable effect of pushing families out of the state in search of less hostile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/texas-s-official-hostility-toward-gender-nonconforming-children-has/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Trump was not helped by either of his impeachments, and there's no reason other than his own mythology to think that a trial and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/trump-was-not-helped-by-either-of-his-impeachments-and-there-s-no/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [If 'The Lord of the Rings' is a cautionary tale about the desire for power and the use of power, then it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/if-the-lord-of-the-rings-is-a-cautionary-tale-about-the-desire-for/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [By no means is Trump the first president or even the first Republican president to abuse the power of the office in an effort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/by-no-means-is-trump-the-first-president-or-even-the-first-republican/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [For liberals in particular, the idea that government is only hypocrisy and dysfunction is self-defeating and nihilistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/for-liberals-in-particular-the-idea-that-government-is-only-hypocrisy/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Nineteenth-century American politics were notoriously raucous, with frequent violence in and around elections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/nineteenth-century-american-politics-were-notoriously-raucous-with/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Trump did not win the 2016 presidential election solely on the votes of his base; he won it after he consolidated wavering Republicans and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/trump-did-not-win-the-2016-presidential-election-solely-on-the-votes/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Trump's authoritarian instincts - his refusal to accept or even learn the rules of the constitutional system - are a huge part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/trump-s-authoritarian-instincts-his-refusal-to-accept-or-even-learn/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is notorious for his efforts to secure 'election integrity' through voter purges and other efforts to shrink the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/kansas-secretary-of-state-kris-kobach-is-notorious-for-his-efforts-to/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [To vote in the United States, you can't simply go cast a ballot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/to-vote-in-the-united-states-you-can-t-simply-go-cast-a-ballot/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [The ring, in 'The Lord of the Rings,' represents power in all of its terrible glory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/the-ring-in-the-lord-of-the-rings-represents-power-in-all-of-its/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [As long as voting is voluntary, young people will likely always vote at lower rates than their older counterparts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/as-long-as-voting-is-voluntary-young-people-will-likely-always-vote/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) > [Hillary Clinton made plenty of tactical and strategic missteps in her bid for the White House.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/hillary-clinton-made-plenty-of-tactical-and-strategic-missteps-in-her/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) [Explore all 100 Jamelle Bouie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) ## 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. 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