--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No one is born a good citizen; no nation…" description: "\"No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/kofi-annan-799_birth_no-one-is-born-a-good-citizen-no-nation_145111.png" --- # No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a… ![“No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth severs its lifeline.” quote by Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/kofi-annan-799_birth_no-one-is-born-a-good-citizen-no-nation_145111.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/kofi-annan-799_birth_no-one-is-born-a-good-citizen-no-nation_145111.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/kofi-annan-799_birth_no-one-is-born-a-good-citizen-no-nation_145111.png) > “No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth severs its lifeline.” [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Citizenship and democracy develop over a lifetime, requiring youth inclusion. **In simple terms:** Democracy grows with people. Key Takeaway Invest in youth participation for societal health. Themes democracy citizenship youth involvement social evolution Mood hopeful serious inspirational Type political motivational When to use this quote - schools - community programs - government initiatives Key Concepts education civic engagement policy reform Questions to Reflect On - How can youth influence political systems? - What barriers hinder democratic growth? A Different Perspective Change can be slow and resisted by entrenched interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Born Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-democracy-1541376/) [Citizen Nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizen-nation-1629756/) [Citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/) [Citizenship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizenship/) [Cutting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Evolve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolve/) [Good citizen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-citizen/) [Lifelines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifelines/) [Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime/) [Nation Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation-born-274785/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts itself off from its youth severs its lifeline; it is condemned to bleed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/young-people-must-be-included-from-birth-a-society-that-cuts-itself-2/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [You have to understand that to have a revolution when you are 18 years old is completely different from normal political leaders who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-manuel-barroso/you-have-to-understand-that-to-have-a-revolution-when-you-are-18/) [Jose Manuel Barroso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-manuel-barroso/) > [No citizen of this nation is worthy of the name unless he bears unswerving loyalty to the system under which he lives, the system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-citizen-of-this-nation-is-worthy-of-the-name-unless-he-bears/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You can no longer see or identify yourself solely as a member of a tribe, but as a citizen of a nation of one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idowu-koyenikan/you-can-no-longer-see-or-identify-yourself-solely-as-a-member-of-a/) [idowu koyenikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idowu-koyenikan/) > [There is no connection between imperialism and democracy. I mean when we ran an Empire which we did when I was born, there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-benn/there-is-no-connection-between-imperialism-and-democracy-i-mean-when/) [Tony Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-benn/) > [We are each born into a situation-a particular body (its race, sex, health...), a set of ancestors, a community, a nation-and born into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/we-are-each-born-into-a-situation-a-particular-body-its-race-sex/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts itself off from its youth severs its lifeline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/young-people-must-be-included-from-birth-a-society-that-cuts-itself/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [“A nation can be born in a day. The day righteousness is granted access and corruption is banned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-suulola/a-nation-can-be-born-in-a-day-the-day-righteousness-is-granted-access/) [Benjamin Suulola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-suulola/) > [A little righteous anger really brings out the best in the American personality. Our nation was born when 56 patriots got mad enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/a-little-righteous-anger-really-brings-out-the-best-in-the-american/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [A nation is born into freedom on the day when such a people, moulded into a nation by a process of cultural evolution and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diosdado-macapagal/a-nation-is-born-into-freedom-on-the-day-when-such-a-people-moulded/) [Diosdado Macapagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diosdado-macapagal/) > [Never yet was a nation born that did not begin in the spirit, pass to the heart and the mind, and then take an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/never-yet-was-a-nation-born-that-did-not-begin-in-the-spirit-pass-to/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) > [Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. ... We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/our-nation-was-born-in-genocide-when-it-embraced-the-doctrine-that/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Citizenship comes first today in our crowded world... No man can enjoy the privileges of education and thereafter with a clear conscience break his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-bowman/citizenship-comes-first-today-in-our-crowded-world-no-man-can-enjoy/) [Isaiah Bowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-bowman/) > [There is no patent recipe for getting good citizenship. You get it by applying the old, old rules of decent conduct, the rules in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-is-no-patent-recipe-for-getting-good-citizenship-you-get-it-by/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [In the future, we will play games while floating naked in a tank of warm, sensory-depriving gelatin. Games will be distributed chemically, into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-schafer/in-the-future-we-will-play-games-while-floating-naked-in-a-tank-of/) [Tim Schafer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-schafer/) ## More by Kofi Annan > [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [We were all children once. And we all share the desire for the well-being of our children, which has always been and will continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-were-all-children-once-and-we-all-share-the-desire-for-the-well/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [You will recall that for months after 9/11, there was incredible support and sympathy for the US. I really hoped and wished they had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/you-will-recall-that-for-months-after-9-11-there-was-incredible/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [A nation has the right to defend itself, but when it comes to the broader issue of peace and security, the legitimacy rests only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/a-nation-has-the-right-to-defend-itself-but-when-it-comes-to-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Sometimes when you take a tough action against one side in the conflict, they see you as part of the conflict and they attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/sometimes-when-you-take-a-tough-action-against-one-side-in-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Some have suggested that ideally there must be some international body that would treat areas like the Arctic as a global commerce, a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/some-have-suggested-that-ideally-there-must-be-some-international/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [In an age of interdependence, global citizenship - based on trust and sense of shared responsibility - is a crucial pillar of progress. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/in-an-age-of-interdependence-global-citizenship-based-on-trust-and/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [We knew the Syrian situation was complex and there were lots of divisions, particularly on the side of the opposition... This is a tough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-knew-the-syrian-situation-was-complex-and-there-were-lots-of/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [The question is the morning after. What sort of Iraq do we wake up to after the bombing? What happens in the region? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/the-question-is-the-morning-after-what-sort-of-iraq-do-we-wake-up-to/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [I laugh a lot inside and outside, and at myself sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/i-laugh-a-lot-inside-and-outside-and-at-myself-sometimes/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Can the state, which represents the whole of society and has the duty of protecting society, fulfill that duty by lowering itself to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/can-the-state-which-represents-the-whole-of-society-and-has-the-duty/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [As long as inequality and other social problems plague us, populists will try to exploit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/as-long-as-inequality-and-other-social-problems-plague-us-populists/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Developing and newer democracies are much more susceptible to the tactics of populists and demagogues - they often do not have strong institutions, free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/developing-and-newer-democracies-are-much-more-susceptible-to-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [The young and dynamic and idealistic people in the square do not have the chance to organise themselves politically, to be able to follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/the-young-and-dynamic-and-idealistic-people-in-the-square-do-not-have/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) [Explore all 366 Kofi Annan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) ## More Birth quotes > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) [Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The greatest mystery in life is not life itself, but death. Death is the culmination of life, the ultimate blossoming of life. In death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-greatest-mystery-in-life-is-not-life-itself-but-death-death-is/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/) [Adam Imad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-imad/) > [The wailing of the newborn infant is mingled with the dirge for the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/the-wailing-of-the-newborn-infant-is-mingled-with-the-dirge-for-the/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [I gave birth to most of them MC's... So when it comes around to the month of May, Send me your royalty check for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-shante/i-gave-birth-to-most-of-them-mc-s-so-when-it-comes-around-to-the/) [Roxanne Shante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-shante/) > [“A Beautiful verse takes birth when "U"n"I" VERSE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajesh-walecha/a-beautiful-verse-takes-birth-when-u-n-i-verse/) [Rajesh Walecha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajesh-walecha/) > [“There is no born evil, only a corruptible canvas darkened by a formidable perpetrator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yefon-isabelle/there-is-no-born-evil-only-a-corruptible-canvas-darkened-by-a/) [Yefon Isabelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yefon-isabelle/) > [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) [Browse all 6,183 Birth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth severs its lifeline.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kofi Annan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/no-one-is-born-a-good-citizen-no-nation-is-born-a-democracy-rather/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Birth" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/no-one-is-born-a-good-citizen-no-nation-is-born-a-democracy-rather/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/kofi-annan-799_birth_no-one-is-born-a-good-citizen-no-nation_145111.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/kofi-annan-799_birth_no-one-is-born-a-good-citizen-no-nation_145111.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/kofi-annan-799_birth_no-one-is-born-a-good-citizen-no-nation_145111.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to…” — Kofi Annan", "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": "Kofi Annan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "No one is born a good...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/no-one-is-born-a-good-citizen-no-nation-is-born-a-democracy-rather/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/no-one-is-born-a-good-citizen-no-nation-is-born-a-democracy-rather/#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 } } ] } ```