--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let’s not forget that American democracy…" description: "\"Let’s not forget that American democracy started with ‘We the People’ agreeing to work hard to create ‘a more perfect union.’ We’ve lost the idea that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f4/parker-j-palmer-2983_american-democracy_let-s-not-forget-that-american-democracy_1921505.jpg" --- # Let’s not forget that American democracy started with ‘We… ![“Let’s not forget that American democracy started with ‘We the People’ agreeing to work hard to create ‘a more perfect union.’ We’ve lost the idea that politics begins at home with what happens in families, in neighborhoods, in classrooms, in congregations. We called this democracy into being – and…” quote by Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f4/parker-j-palmer-2983_american-democracy_let-s-not-forget-that-american-democracy_1921505.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f4/parker-j-palmer-2983_american-democracy_let-s-not-forget-that-american-democracy_1921505.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f4/parker-j-palmer-2983_american-democracy_let-s-not-forget-that-american-democracy_1921505.jpg) > “Let’s not forget that American democracy started with ‘We the People’ agreeing to work hard to create ‘a more perfect union.’ We’ve lost the idea that politics begins at home with what happens in families, in neighborhoods, in classrooms, in congregations. We called this democracy into being – and if we want to call this democracy back to its highest values, it’s got to be the us doing that calling. That’s not going to happen if ‘We the People’ don’t know how to talk to one another with civility and hold our differences in a creative, life-giving way.” [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Democracy thrives when citizens engage civically at the grassroots level, fostering dialogue and collective responsibility. **In simple terms:** Democracy needs everyday people to talk and act together. Key Takeaway Encourage local, respectful conversations. Themes civic engagement community dialogue responsibility democracy Mood hopeful serious Type political inspirational When to use this quote - neighborhood meetings - school parent groups - faith gatherings - family discussions Key Concepts Social contract public sphere civil discourse Questions to Reflect On - How can we rebuild civility in polarized spaces? - What actions can families take to model democratic values? A Different Perspective Idealism may overlook structural power imbalances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-democracy/) [Civility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civility/) [Classroom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classroom/) [Congregation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congregation/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-life/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-way/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Neighborhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighborhood/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Unions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unions/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Work hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-hard/) ## Related quotes > [Most Americans do really think that Muslims all want to take over and they don't want democracy and they want nothing but Islamic law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-nussbaum/most-americans-do-really-think-that-muslims-all-want-to-take-over-and/) [Martha Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-nussbaum/) > [The problem with the West is that they start with political reform going towards democracy. If you want to go towards democracy, the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/the-problem-with-the-west-is-that-they-start-with-political-reform-2/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [Some corporations don't want free markets, and they don't want democracy. They want profits. And they use our campaign finance system to loot our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy-jr/some-corporations-don-t-want-free-markets-and-they-don-t-want/) [Robert F. Kennedy, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy-jr/) > [The people who say they're for democracy want nothing to do with democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cusack/the-people-who-say-they-re-for-democracy-want-nothing-to-do-with/) [John Cusack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cusack/) > [Everything is generated through your own will power. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. This is a democracy. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/everything-is-generated-through-your-own-will-power-you-don-t-have-to/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The 80s and 90s were the beginning of the hollowing out of the American little democracy. It started with Reagan and went to Bill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-pepitone/the-80s-and-90s-were-the-beginning-of-the-hollowing-out-of-the/) [Eddie Pepitone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-pepitone/) > [Integrity requires that I discern what is integral to my selfhood, what fits and what does not-and that I choose life-giving ways of relating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/integrity-requires-that-i-discern-what-is-integral-to-my-selfhood/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [“We live in what is called a democracy, rule by the majority of the people. A fine ideal if it could be made to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/we-live-in-what-is-called-a-democracy-rule-by-the-majority-of-the/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [In time, this so-called democracy will crumble, and there will be nothing. And the only thing that will remain will be Islam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siraj-wahhaj/in-time-this-so-called-democracy-will-crumble-and-there-will-be/) [Siraj Wahhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siraj-wahhaj/) > [Decades ago, visitors from other planets warned us about the direction we were heading and offered to help. Instead, some of us interpreted their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hellyer/decades-ago-visitors-from-other-planets-warned-us-about-the-direction/) Paul Hellyer > [“The independence of the arms of government must be checked. Let's be real if the so-called 'democracy' we were sold doesn't embrace this and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-santo/the-independence-of-the-arms-of-government-must-be-checked-let-s-be/) [DON SANTO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-santo/) > [My Democratic friends just can't accept the fact that the American people chose Donald Trump to be president - it's called democracy. My advice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy/my-democratic-friends-just-can-t-accept-the-fact-that-the-american/) [John Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy/) > [In our so-called democracy we are accustomed to give the majority what they want rather than educate them to understand what is best for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-g-woodson/in-our-so-called-democracy-we-are-accustomed-to-give-the-majority/) [Carter G. Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-g-woodson/) > [I would love it if everybody in America agreed with me on every issue. I can't get my wife to agree with me on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-would-love-it-if-everybody-in-america-agreed-with-me-on-every-issue/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [“There was something called democracy. As though men were more than physico-chemically equal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/there-was-something-called-democracy-as-though-men-were-more-than/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) ## More by Parker J. Palmer > [“The God I know is the source of reality, rather than morality; the source of 'what is' rather than the source of 'what ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/the-god-i-know-is-the-source-of-reality-rather-than-morality-the/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [One of the hardest things we must do sometimes is to be present to another person's pain without trying to "fix" it, to simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/one-of-the-hardest-things-we-must-do-sometimes-is-to-be-present-to/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Opposing what's wrong is a halfway measure at best. A rebel must also have a vision for something better, a strategy for moving toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/opposing-what-s-wrong-is-a-halfway-measure-at-best-a-rebel-must-also/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one's inwardness, for better or worse. As I teach I project the condition of my soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/teaching-like-any-truly-human-activity-emerges-from-one-s-inwardness/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [If my life is any example, the work that youth workers are doing is very, very important. It tends to get marginalized in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/if-my-life-is-any-example-the-work-that-youth-workers-are-doing-is/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Self-care is never a selfish act - it is only good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/self-care-is-never-a-selfish-act-it-is-only-good-stewardship-of-the/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [The spiritual life is about becoming more at home in your own skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/the-spiritual-life-is-about-becoming-more-at-home-in-your-own-skin/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [“Formation may be the best name for what happens in a circle of trust, because the word refers, historically, to soul work done in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/formation-may-be-the-best-name-for-what-happens-in-a-circle-of-trust/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Don't let anyone or anything rob you of the beauty and meaning at the heart of life. It's your birthright gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/don-t-let-anyone-or-anything-rob-you-of-the-beauty-and-meaning-at-the/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [“Citizenship is a way of being in the world rooted in the knowledge that I am a member of a vast community of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/citizenship-is-a-way-of-being-in-the-world-rooted-in-the-knowledge/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [I think the church needs to be much more countercultural than that and invite people into slowing down, into a "Be-still-and-know-that-I-am-God" mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/i-think-the-church-needs-to-be-much-more-countercultural-than-that/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [My high school, like most high schools, had a pretty rigid stratification system. Kids were clustered into groups - the studious ones, the athletes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/my-high-school-like-most-high-schools-had-a-pretty-rigid/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Death in various forms is sometimes comforting, while resurrection and new life can be demanding and threatening. If I lived as if resurrection were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/death-in-various-forms-is-sometimes-comforting-while-resurrection-and/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Discovering vocation does not mean scrambling toward some prize just beyond my reach but accepting the treasure of true self I already posses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/discovering-vocation-does-not-mean-scrambling-toward-some-prize-just-2/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [It is because as we are, our hearts are closed, and we cannot place the holy words in our hearts. So we place them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/it-is-because-as-we-are-our-hearts-are-closed-and-we-cannot-place-the/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) [Explore all 143 Parker J. Palmer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) ## More American democracy quotes > [ Elvis \[Presley\] had a stepstool, if you will, to success because he came from the dominant culture. They identified with him. Michael Jackson had… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/elvis-presley-had-a-stepstool-if-you-will-to-success-because-he-came/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [That's what separates out American democracy from dictators and horrible governments across the world and the reason why that works is that we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-chamberlain/that-s-what-separates-out-american-democracy-from-dictators-and/) Charles R. Chamberlain > [This will be the day when we shall bring into full realization the dream of American democracy -- a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/this-will-be-the-day-when-we-shall-bring-into-full-realization-the/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [This has all the appearance of a foreign power trying to undermine structures of legitimacy of an American election. That is a serious matter.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerson/this-has-all-the-appearance-of-a-foreign-power-trying-to-undermine/) [Michael Gerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerson/) > [Men like Abraham Lincoln recognized that if the slaveholders were not stopped, it would only be a question of time until they spread their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/men-like-abraham-lincoln-recognized-that-if-the-slaveholders-were-not/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [These communities that are losing local news coverage are losing something deeper. They're losing a connection to American democracy. And those connections must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-stelter/these-communities-that-are-losing-local-news-coverage-are-losing/) [Brian Stelter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-stelter/) > [“Today you go into make a modern recording with all this technology. The bass plays first, then the drums come in later, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/today-you-go-into-make-a-modern-recording-with-all-this-technology/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [As a result of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, American democracy is being undermined by the ability of the Koch brothers and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/as-a-result-of-the-citizens-united-supreme-court-decision-american/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [If everyone on the Court always voted for the prosecution against the defendant, for the corporation against the plaintiffs, and for the government against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/if-everyone-on-the-court-always-voted-for-the-prosecution-against-the/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [Political violence has no place in Pennsylvania - the birthplace of American democracy - nor anywhere else across this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-shapiro/political-violence-has-no-place-in-pennsylvania-the-birthplace-of/) [Josh Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-shapiro/) > [The atomic weapons race and the secrecy surrounding it crushed American democracy. It induced us to conduct government according to lies. It distorted justice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/the-atomic-weapons-race-and-the-secrecy-surrounding-it-crushed/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) > [I have no doubt that there are Russian efforts to disturb the fabric of American democracy, but they're disruption efforts. They're troublemaking efforts. They're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-have-no-doubt-that-there-are-russian-efforts-to-disturb-the-fabric/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [“Still, it strikes me that, taken together, they do make an argument, and it is this: the rise of American democracy is bound up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/still-it-strikes-me-that-taken-together-they-do-make-an-argument-and/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Mr Jefferson meant that the American system should be a democracy, and he would rather have let the whole world perish than that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/mr-jefferson-meant-that-the-american-system-should-be-a-democracy-and/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [I have no doubt that there are Russian efforts to disturb the fabric of American democracy, but they're disruption efforts. The working theory behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-have-no-doubt-that-there-are-russian-efforts-to-disturb-the-fabric-2/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) [Browse all 168 American democracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-democracy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Let’s not forget that American democracy started with ‘We the People’ agreeing to work hard to create ‘a more perfect union.’ We’ve lost the idea that politics begins at home with what happens in families, in neighborhoods, in classrooms, in congregations. We called this democracy into being – and if we want to call this democracy back to its highest values, it’s got to be the us doing that calling. That’s not going to happen if ‘We the People’ don’t know how to talk to one another with civility and hold our differences in a creative, life-giving way.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Parker J. Palmer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/let-s-not-forget-that-american-democracy-started-with-we-the-people/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American democracy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/let-s-not-forget-that-american-democracy-started-with-we-the-people/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f4/parker-j-palmer-2983_american-democracy_let-s-not-forget-that-american-democracy_1921505.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f4/parker-j-palmer-2983_american-democracy_let-s-not-forget-that-american-democracy_1921505.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f4/parker-j-palmer-2983_american-democracy_let-s-not-forget-that-american-democracy_1921505.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Let’s not forget that American democracy started with ‘We the People’ agreeing to work hard to create ‘a…” — Parker J. Palmer", "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": "Parker J. Palmer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Let’s not forget that American democracy...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/let-s-not-forget-that-american-democracy-started-with-we-the-people/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/let-s-not-forget-that-american-democracy-started-with-we-the-people/#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 } } ] } ```