--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A democracy is ... accounted the meanest…" description: "\"A democracy is ... accounted the meanest and worst of all forms of government.\" — John Winthrop" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/john-winthrop-33810_democracy_a-democracy-is-accounted-the-meanest-and_1619244.jpg" --- # A democracy is ... accounted the meanest and worst of all… ![“A democracy is ... accounted the meanest and worst of all forms of government.” quote by John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/john-winthrop-33810_democracy_a-democracy-is-accounted-the-meanest-and_1619244.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/john-winthrop-33810_democracy_a-democracy-is-accounted-the-meanest-and_1619244.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/john-winthrop-33810_democracy_a-democracy-is-accounted-the-meanest-and_1619244.jpg) > “A democracy is ... accounted the meanest and worst of all forms of government.” [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Democracy is both the most and least effective form of government, reflecting its dual nature. **In simple terms:** Democracy has strengths and flaws. Key Takeaway Recognize democracy’s limits. Themes government political theory civil society Mood thoughtful analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - voting - policy making - civic engagement - social movements Key Concepts representation public participation Questions to Reflect On - What makes democracy both powerful and vulnerable? - How can citizens improve democratic systems? A Different Perspective Idealizing democracy ignores systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Forms of government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forms-of-government/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [Democracy is the worst form of government. It is the most inefficient, the most clumsy, the most unpractical… It reduces wisdom to impotence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-briffault/democracy-is-the-worst-form-of-government-it-is-the-most-inefficient/) [Robert Briffault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-briffault/) > [Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/many-forms-of-government-have-been-tried-and-will-be-tried-in-this/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [“The meanest girl who dances and dresses becomes something higher when her children look up into her face and ask her questions. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/the-meanest-girl-who-dances-and-dresses-becomes-something-higher-when/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [“At a certain point, a smile could be the meanest thing ever”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joas-vebryant/at-a-certain-point-a-smile-could-be-the-meanest-thing-ever/) Joas Vebryant > [I remember how the other kids used to say that old Mister Swenson was the meanest man in town. But I said I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/i-remember-how-the-other-kids-used-to-say-that-old-mister-swenson-was/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [To me the meanest flower that blows can give thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/to-me-the-meanest-flower-that-blows-can-give-thoughts-that-do-often/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [I live in a world where there's magazines and blogs, and people feel like they are allowed to criticize me, and in the meanest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khloe-kardashian/i-live-in-a-world-where-there-s-magazines-and-blogs-and-people-feel/) [Khloe Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khloe-kardashian/) > [“The meanest man in the world,” he remarked, “is the man who forgets the old friends that helped him on an early day and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/the-meanest-man-in-the-world-he-remarked-is-the-man-who-forgets-the/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“Caleb leaned forward in his seat. 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It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/maybe-you-should-be-the-victor-haymitch-that-would-give-you-some-time/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [It was the meanest moment of eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/it-was-the-meanest-moment-of-eternity/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [The meanest life is better than the most glorious death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/the-meanest-life-is-better-than-the-most-glorious-death/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [You go on these Internet blogs and people say the meanest things. I'm a normal person. 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The eyes of all people are upon us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/for-we-must-consider-that-we-shall-be-as-a-city-upon-a-hill-the-eyes/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) > [“We must knit together, in this work, as one man. We must entertain each other in brotherly affection. 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The eyes of all people are upon us. Soe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/for-we-must-consider-that-we-shall-be-as-a-city-upon-a-hill-the-eyes-3/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) > [We must delight in each other, make others conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/we-must-delight-in-each-other-make-others-conditions-our-own-rejoice/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) > [“For this end, we must be knit together in this work as one man, we must entertain each other in brotherly affection, we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/for-this-end-we-must-be-knit-together-in-this-work-as-one-man-we-must-2/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) [Explore all 14 John Winthrop quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) ## More Democracy quotes > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. 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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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