--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now if democracy will not work for the…" description: "\"Now if democracy will not work for the Russians, a white Christian people, can we assume that it will naturally work with Asians?\" — Lee Kuan Yew" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/lee-kuan-yew-3939_assuming_now-if-democracy-will-not-work-for-the-r_935887.jpg" --- # Now if democracy will not work for the Russians, a white… ![“Now if democracy will not work for the Russians, a white Christian people, can we assume that it will naturally work with Asians?” quote by Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/lee-kuan-yew-3939_assuming_now-if-democracy-will-not-work-for-the-r_935887.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/lee-kuan-yew-3939_assuming_now-if-democracy-will-not-work-for-the-r_935887.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/lee-kuan-yew-3939_assuming_now-if-democracy-will-not-work-for-the-r_935887.jpg) > “Now if democracy will not work for the Russians, a white Christian people, can we assume that it will naturally work with Asians?” [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He questions whether democracy works for different ethnic groups, implying cultural variance in governance. **In simple terms:** Democracy may not suit all cultures equally. Key Takeaway Consider cultural context when evaluating political systems. Themes politics culture democracy Mood thoughtful critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - international relations - education Key Concepts comparative politics ethnic identity Questions to Reflect On - How do cultures influence political preferences? - Can democracy be adapted to diverse societies? A Different Perspective Assumes cultural determinism without evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“I have come to the conclusion that just as the Japanese live to work, Asians live to eat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastacia-oaikhena/i-have-come-to-the-conclusion-that-just-as-the-japanese-live-to-work/) Anastacia Oaikhena > [“No segment of White Christian America has been more complicit in the nation’s fraught racial history than white evangelical Protestants.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-p-jones/no-segment-of-white-christian-america-has-been-more-complicit-in-the/) Robert P. Jones > [The greatest miracle Christianity has achieved in America is that the Black man in white Christian hands has not grown violent. 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Tam Holland > [Trumpists want a return to a white, Christian America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trumpists-want-a-return-to-a-white-christian-america/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [The white Christian church never raised to the heights of Christ. It stayed within the limit of culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/the-white-christian-church-never-raised-to-the-heights-of-christ-it/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [“Christians began to slip in the late 1990s, expanding the tent to include white Catholics helped perpetuate the illusion that White Christian America was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-p-jones/christians-began-to-slip-in-the-late-1990s-expanding-the-tent-to/) Robert P. Jones > [President Barack Obama read to a certain portion of white America as an unending attack on white Christian identity, centrality and cultural relevance. 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It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-rosen/it-can-sound-trite-if-you-just-say-citizens-need-to-be-educated-for/) [Jeffrey Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-rosen/) ## More by Lee Kuan Yew > [“You know, the cure for all this talk is really a good dose of incompetent government. You get that alternative and you'll never put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/you-know-the-cure-for-all-this-talk-is-really-a-good-dose-of/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [I'm not saying that everything I did was right, but everything I did was for an honourable purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/i-m-not-saying-that-everything-i-did-was-right-but-everything-i-did/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [If, for instance, you put in a Malay officer who's very religious and who has family ties in Malaysia in charge of a machine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/if-for-instance-you-put-in-a-malay-officer-who-s-very-religious-and/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [Supposing Catherine Lim was writing about me and not the prime minister...She would not dare, right? Because my posture, my response has been such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/supposing-catherine-lim-was-writing-about-me-and-not-the-prime/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [You marry a non-graduate, then you are going to worry if your son or daughter is going to make it to the university.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/you-marry-a-non-graduate-then-you-are-going-to-worry-if-your-son-or/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [That was the year the British decided to get out and sell everything. So I immediately held an election. I knew the people will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/that-was-the-year-the-british-decided-to-get-out-and-sell-everything/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [A leader without the vision, to strive to improve things, is no good. Then you will just stay put, you won't progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/a-leader-without-the-vision-to-strive-to-improve-things-is-no-good/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [India is scared of the competition... because Chinese goods will go into India and compete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/india-is-scared-of-the-competition-because-chinese-goods-will-go-into/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [I was a product of the times, the war, the occupation, the reoccupation, my 4 years in Britain, admiring but at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/i-was-a-product-of-the-times-the-war-the-occupation-the-reoccupation/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [Three women were brought to the Singapore General Hospital, each in the same condition and needing a blood transfusion. The first, a Southeast Asian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/three-women-were-brought-to-the-singapore-general-hospital-each-in/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [What I fear is complacency. When things always become better, people tend to want more for less work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/what-i-fear-is-complacency-when-things-always-become-better-people/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [I have said this on many a previous occasion: that had the mix in Singapore been different, had it been 75% Indians, 15% Malays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/i-have-said-this-on-many-a-previous-occasion-that-had-the-mix-in/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [I have decided that we shall make and build and never give way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/i-have-decided-that-we-shall-make-and-build-and-never-give-way/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [Nine holes of golf will take you one-and-a-half, two hours. I run in 20 minutes, I feel better off. So the cost benefit made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/nine-holes-of-golf-will-take-you-one-and-a-half-two-hours-i-run-in-20/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) [Explore all 119 Lee Kuan Yew quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) ## More Asians quotes > [You can have Asians being leading men that are sex symbols. You can have leading women powering through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-golding/you-can-have-asians-being-leading-men-that-are-sex-symbols-you-can/) [Henry Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-golding/) > [I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. But I do remember, if there was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/i-felt-pretty-good-growing-up-i-didnt-feel-a-lot-of-prejudice-or/) [David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/) > [I'm proud of my roots. There are not many Asians in the music industry so it's important for me to tell people where I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-lee/i-m-proud-of-my-roots-there-are-not-many-asians-in-the-music-industry/) [Coco Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-lee/) > [I didn't think it was possible for Asians to be actors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/i-didn-t-think-it-was-possible-for-asians-to-be-actors/) [John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/) > [I feel like there's this need that the Asian-American community has to feel like people. It's something that Asians in Asia do not understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/i-feel-like-there-s-this-need-that-the-asian-american-community-has/) [John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/) > [More Asians need to be on television as a positive role model.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-tom/more-asians-need-to-be-on-television-as-a-positive-role-model/) [Kiana Tom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-tom/) > [I think when people talk about race relations in America, they talk about African-American and white people. Asians are not often brought into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-chieng/i-think-when-people-talk-about-race-relations-in-america-they-talk/) [Ronny Chieng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-chieng/) > [Asian players train so hard. Most of the time, on Monday mornings, the only people you see on the range are Asians. I mean,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yani-tseng/asian-players-train-so-hard-most-of-the-time-on-monday-mornings-the/) [Yani Tseng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yani-tseng/) > [My heritage is something that I have always been aware of, however, some would say that there is a disproportionately low number of Asians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-adrian/my-heritage-is-something-that-i-have-always-been-aware-of-however/) Nathan Adrian > [“Some of us are happy with our African hair, thank you very much. I don't want some poor Indian girl's hair. And I wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/some-of-us-are-happy-with-our-african-hair-thank-you-very-much-i-don/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [If I'm privileged to be elected, I'd be blessed to represent a diverse district, including South Asians and Indian Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raja-krishnamoorthi/if-i-m-privileged-to-be-elected-i-d-be-blessed-to-represent-a-diverse/) [Raja Krishnamoorthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raja-krishnamoorthi/) > [When I was growing up, Asians weren't known for dancing. I knew all my older aunts and uncles did, like, ballroom dancing and stuff.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/when-i-was-growing-up-asians-weren-t-known-for-dancing-i-knew-all-my/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [Our political establishment refuses to use the word 'segregated.' They call the schools diverse, which means half black, half Hispanic, and maybe two white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/our-political-establishment-refuses-to-use-the-word-segregated-they/) [Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/) > [“SVU, CSI, CSI: NY. These shows, they're all about things being done to females and children. If they were full of thing being done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/svu-csi-csi-ny-these-shows-they-re-all-about-things-being-done-to/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [Few politicians and analysts understand the very real fault lines among Asian sub-groups: Some Asians have done very well for themselves. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-wagner/few-politicians-and-analysts-understand-the-very-real-fault-lines/) [Alex Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-wagner/) Browse all 102 Asians quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Now if democracy will not work for the Russians, a white Christian people, can we assume that it will naturally work with Asians?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lee Kuan Yew" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/now-if-democracy-will-not-work-for-the-russians-a-white-christian/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asians" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/now-if-democracy-will-not-work-for-the-russians-a-white-christian/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/lee-kuan-yew-3939_assuming_now-if-democracy-will-not-work-for-the-r_935887.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/lee-kuan-yew-3939_assuming_now-if-democracy-will-not-work-for-the-r_935887.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/lee-kuan-yew-3939_assuming_now-if-democracy-will-not-work-for-the-r_935887.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Now if democracy will not work for the Russians, a white Christian people, can we assume that it will…” — Lee Kuan Yew", "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": "Lee Kuan Yew", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Now if democracy will not work...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/now-if-democracy-will-not-work-for-the-russians-a-white-christian/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/now-if-democracy-will-not-work-for-the-russians-a-white-christian/#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 } } ] } ```