--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Democracy is not a state in which people…" description: "\"Democracy is not a state in which people act like sheep.\" — Mahatma Gandhi" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/mahatma-gandhi-23_democracy_democracy-is-not-a-state-in-which-people_1856943.jpg" --- # Democracy is not a state in which people act like sheep. ![“Democracy is not a state in which people act like sheep.” quote by Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/mahatma-gandhi-23_democracy_democracy-is-not-a-state-in-which-people_1856943.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/mahatma-gandhi-23_democracy_democracy-is-not-a-state-in-which-people_1856943.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/mahatma-gandhi-23_democracy_democracy-is-not-a-state-in-which-people_1856943.jpg) > “Democracy is not a state in which people act like sheep.” [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Democracy should empower independent thought, not blind conformity. **In simple terms:** Democracy isn’t about following the crowd. Key Takeaway Encourage critical thinking in civic life. Themes politics freedom individuality Mood reflective determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - voting - public debate - activism Key Concepts democratic theory civil rights Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to think independently in a democracy? - How can citizens resist herd mentality? A Different Perspective Mass media can oversimplify issues, leading to herd behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Maybe your life resembles a Bethlehem stable. Crude in some spots, smelly in others. Not much glamour. Not always neat. People in your circle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/maybe-your-life-resembles-a-bethlehem-stable-crude-in-some-spots/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Men are like sheep, of which a flock is more easily driven than a single one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/men-are-like-sheep-of-which-a-flock-is-more-easily-driven-than-a/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [She has teeth like stars and hair like sheep fuzz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamora-pierce/she-has-teeth-like-stars-and-hair-like-sheep-fuzz/) [Tamora Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamora-pierce/) > [“Creatures like the sheep, that are used to traveling, know about moving on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/creatures-like-the-sheep-that-are-used-to-traveling-know-about-moving/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Like sheep, sidhe-seers herd by nature, until you \*want\* them to go somewhere. Then they're all fluffy bottoms and broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/like-sheep-sidhe-seers-herd-by-nature-until-you-want-them-to-go/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [These people are like sheep, if you were to ask them, who would like hepatitis, they are all going to cheer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santino-marella/these-people-are-like-sheep-if-you-were-to-ask-them-who-would-like/) [Santino Marella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santino-marella/) > [Everyone's like sheep on social media; like, one person starts making noise, and everyone's like, 'Hey, yeah!' and then you got a whole bunch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-sweatshirt/everyone-s-like-sheep-on-social-media-like-one-person-starts-making/) [Earl Sweatshirt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-sweatshirt/) > [How many girls there are who do not see any wrongdoing in following certain shameless styles like so many sheep. They certainly would blush…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-xii/how-many-girls-there-are-who-do-not-see-any-wrongdoing-in-following/) [Pope Pius XII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-xii/) > [I always look at everyone when we're on the street and think, 'We're like sheep or ants.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ryan/i-always-look-at-everyone-when-we-re-on-the-street-and-think-we-re/) [Lee Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ryan/) > [When a man is really in love he can't help looking like a sheep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/when-a-man-is-really-in-love-he-can-t-help-looking-like-a-sheep/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [You're in a horse race but you're thinking like a sheep. Sheep don't win horse races.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-re-in-a-horse-race-but-you-re-thinking-like-a-sheep-sheep-don-t/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [A democracy is a state in which the poor, gaining the upper hand, kill some and banish others, and then divide the offices among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/a-democracy-is-a-state-in-which-the-poor-gaining-the-upper-hand-kill/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“Citizens no longer understand democracy to mean a condition of political equality, in which one person gets one vote, and every individual is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/citizens-no-longer-understand-democracy-to-mean-a-condition-of/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [A democracy is a state which recognizes the subjection of the minority to the majority, that is, an organization for the systematic use of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/a-democracy-is-a-state-which-recognizes-the-subjection-of-the/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [In a well-functioning democracy, the state constitution is considered more important than God's holy book, whichever holy book that may be, and God matters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/in-a-well-functioning-democracy-the-state-constitution-is-considered/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) ## More by Mahatma Gandhi > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Devotion required by the Gita is no soft-hearted effusiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/devotion-required-by-the-gita-is-no-soft-hearted-effusiveness/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [So long as we fear the outside world, we must cease to think of Swaraj.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/so-long-as-we-fear-the-outside-world-we-must-cease-to-think-of-swaraj/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I do not want a kingdom, or heaven; what I want is to remove the trouble of the oppressed, the poor, and the needy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-a-kingdom-or-heaven-what-i-want-is-to-remove-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Religions are not for separating men from one another, they are meant to bind them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/religions-are-not-for-separating-men-from-one-another-they-are-meant/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I hold flesh-food to be unsuited to our species. We err in copying the lower animal world if we are superior to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-hold-flesh-food-to-be-unsuited-to-our-species-we-err-in-copying-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was only in South Africa that I got over this shyness, though I never completely overcame it. It was impossible for me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/it-was-only-in-south-africa-that-i-got-over-this-shyness-though-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“Where there is life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/where-there-is-life/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [If it was wrong to seek God in a stone, how was it right to seek Him in a book called the Gita, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/if-it-was-wrong-to-seek-god-in-a-stone-how-was-it-right-to-seek-him/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The spirit of democracy cannot be established in the midst of terrorism, whether governmental or popular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-spirit-of-democracy-cannot-be-established-in-the-midst-of/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Champions are made from something they have deep inside of them-a desire, a dream, a vison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/champions-are-made-from-something-they-have-deep-inside-of-them-a/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [My motto is "Unite now, today if you can; fight if you must. But in every case avoid British intervention."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/my-motto-is-unite-now-today-if-you-can-fight-if-you-must-but-in-every/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I have no disciples, being myself an aspirant after discipleship and in search of a guru.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-have-no-disciples-being-myself-an-aspirant-after-discipleship-and/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Man becomes not the lord and master of all creation but he is its servant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/man-becomes-not-the-lord-and-master-of-all-creation-but-he-is-its/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) [Explore all 3,284 Mahatma Gandhi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) ## 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. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) > [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Browse all 11,220 Democracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Democracy is not a state in which people act like sheep.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mahatma Gandhi" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/democracy-is-not-a-state-in-which-people-act-like-sheep/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Democracy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/democracy-is-not-a-state-in-which-people-act-like-sheep/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/mahatma-gandhi-23_democracy_democracy-is-not-a-state-in-which-people_1856943.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/mahatma-gandhi-23_democracy_democracy-is-not-a-state-in-which-people_1856943.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/mahatma-gandhi-23_democracy_democracy-is-not-a-state-in-which-people_1856943.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Democracy is not a state in which people act like sheep.” — Mahatma Gandhi", "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": "Mahatma Gandhi", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Democracy is not a state in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/democracy-is-not-a-state-in-which-people-act-like-sheep/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/democracy-is-not-a-state-in-which-people-act-like-sheep/#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 } } ] } ```