--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Democracy is the only system capable of…" description: "\"Democracy is the only system capable of reflecting the humanist premise of equilibrium or balance. The key to its secret is the involvement of the citi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/john-ralston-saul-3128_balance_democracy-is-the-only-system-capable-of_2603161.jpg" --- # Democracy is the only system capable of reflecting the… ![“Democracy is the only system capable of reflecting the humanist premise of equilibrium or balance. The key to its secret is the involvement of the citizen.” quote by John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/john-ralston-saul-3128_balance_democracy-is-the-only-system-capable-of_2603161.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/john-ralston-saul-3128_balance_democracy-is-the-only-system-capable-of_2603161.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/john-ralston-saul-3128_balance_democracy-is-the-only-system-capable-of_2603161.jpg) > “Democracy is the only system capable of reflecting the humanist premise of equilibrium or balance. The key to its secret is the involvement of the citizen.” [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Democracy works when citizens actively participate, balancing diverse interests for a fair society. **In simple terms:** Citizens must engage for democracy to stay balanced. Key Takeaway Get involved in civic life. Themes democracy citizen participation balance Mood reflective concerned Type political philosophical When to use this quote - voting - community meetings - public debates - policy advocacy Key Concepts social contract collective decisionmaking Questions to Reflect On - How can you increase your civic involvement? - What barriers prevent people from participating? A Different Perspective If citizens disengage, the system can tilt toward oligarchy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Capable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capable/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Democracy Capable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy-capable-1962934/) [Equilibrium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equilibrium/) [Humanist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanist/) [Humanist Premise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanist-premise-1962935/) [Involvement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/involvement/) [Involvement Citizen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/involvement-citizen-1962937/) [Reflecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflecting/) [Reflecting Humanist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflecting-humanist-1962936/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) ## Related quotes > [A constitutional state is like daily bread, like water to drink and air to breath, and the best thing about democracy is that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-radbruch/a-constitutional-state-is-like-daily-bread-like-water-to-drink-and/) [Gustav Radbruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-radbruch/) > [In the humanist ideal, the mainstream is where interesting debate, the generating of new ideas and creativity take place. 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That's not my notion, nor is it my temperament. The EU has always functioned under the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-hollande/no-one-imposes-things-on-anyone-in-europe-that-s-not-my-notion-nor-is/) [Francois Hollande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-hollande/) > [Inside movement there is one moment in which the elements are in balance. Photography must seize the importance of this moment and hold immobile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/inside-movement-there-is-one-moment-in-which-the-elements-are-in/) [Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/) > [I'd like to be able to do complex math in my head. Any kind of adversity and I become very anxious, but if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-woods/i-d-like-to-be-able-to-do-complex-math-in-my-head-any-kind-of/) [Zach Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-woods/) > [Perhaps the universe is nothing but an equilibrium of idiocies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/perhaps-the-universe-is-nothing-but-an-equilibrium-of-idiocies/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) ## More by John Ralston Saul > [Of course, corporations and governments have a right to something for their money. They pay the wages. But they don't have the ethical right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/of-course-corporations-and-governments-have-a-right-to-something-for/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Some people don't like the 'comeback' because that suggests they went somewhere, which they didn't. That isn't what I mean. In my mind, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/some-people-don-t-like-the-comeback-because-that-suggests-they-went/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [In the humanist ideal, the mainstream is where interesting debate, the generating of new ideas and creativity take place. In rational society this mainstream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/in-the-humanist-ideal-the-mainstream-is-where-interesting-debate-the/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [There's two ways of dealing with fears of mortality. 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They claim to be conservatives, when everything they stand for is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/the-neo-conservatives-who-are-closely-linked-to-the-neo-corporatists/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Armaments; extremely useful for fighting wars, a deadweight in any civil economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/armaments-extremely-useful-for-fighting-wars-a-deadweight-in-any/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [In the European tradition, rivers are seen as divisions between peoples. But in the Aboriginal tradition, rivers are seen as the glue, the highway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/in-the-european-tradition-rivers-are-seen-as-divisions-between/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [“Basic technical training is, of course, useful. But to treat it as anything more than that is to lock students into technology that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/basic-technical-training-is-of-course-useful-but-to-treat-it-as/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Bankers - pillars of society who are going to hell if there is a God and He has been accurately quoted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/bankers-pillars-of-society-who-are-going-to-hell-if-there-is-a-god/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [If allowed to run free of the social system, capitalism will attempt to corrupt and undermine democracy, which is after all not a natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/if-allowed-to-run-free-of-the-social-system-capitalism-will-attempt/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [For about 125 years, give or take, the Canadian government has acted extremely badly - even in a way which should be called evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/for-about-125-years-give-or-take-the-canadian-government-has-acted/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Ten geographers who think the world is flat will tend to reinforce each other's errors ... Only a sailor can set them straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/ten-geographers-who-think-the-world-is-flat-will-tend-to-reinforce/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) [Explore all 139 John Ralston Saul quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [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/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Democracy is the only system capable of reflecting the humanist premise of equilibrium or balance. 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