--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The point about democracy is not that it…" description: "\"The point about democracy is not that it delivers legitimate, effective, prosperous rule of law. It's not that it guarantees peace with itself or with ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/rory-stewart-11028_democracy_the-point-about-democracy-is-not-that-it_2779144.jpg" --- # The point about democracy is not that it delivers… ![“The point about democracy is not that it delivers legitimate, effective, prosperous rule of law. It's not that it guarantees peace with itself or with its neighbors. ... Democracy matters because it reflects an idea of equality.” quote by Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/rory-stewart-11028_democracy_the-point-about-democracy-is-not-that-it_2779144.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/rory-stewart-11028_democracy_the-point-about-democracy-is-not-that-it_2779144.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/rory-stewart-11028_democracy_the-point-about-democracy-is-not-that-it_2779144.jpg) > “The point about democracy is not that it delivers legitimate, effective, prosperous rule of law. It's not that it guarantees peace with itself or with its neighbors. ... Democracy matters because it reflects an idea of equality.” [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Democracy's value lies in its principle of equality, not just its outcomes. **In simple terms:** Equality is democracy's core. Key Takeaway Champion equal rights. Themes politics equality democracy Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - policy making - civic education - international relations Key Concepts social contract political theory Questions to Reflect On - How does equality shape policy? - Can democracy truly ensure equality? A Different Perspective Equality can be unevenly applied. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Equality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equality/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [Prosperous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosperous/) [Rule of law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule-of-law/) ## Related quotes > [Democracy matters because it reflects an idea of equality and an idea of liberty. It reflects an idea of dignity, the dignity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/democracy-matters-because-it-reflects-an-idea-of-equality-and-an-idea/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [The main point of democracy is to deliver positive results for the majority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrystia-freeland/the-main-point-of-democracy-is-to-deliver-positive-results-for-the/) [Chrystia Freeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrystia-freeland/) > [We must add our voices to those who cry out that there is a standard below which we will not allow human beings to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-g-solomon/we-must-add-our-voices-to-those-who-cry-out-that-there-is-a-standard/) Hannah G. Solomon > [“I’ve always been very concerned with democracy. If you can’t imagine you could be wrong, what’s the point of democracy? And if you can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-berger/i-ve-always-been-very-concerned-with-democracy-if-you-can-t-imagine/) [Warren Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-berger/) > [Politics matters. Ideas matter. Democracy matters, because all of us need to be able to make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-layton/politics-matters-ideas-matter-democracy-matters-because-all-of-us/) [Jack Layton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-layton/) > [Democracy matters to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-hoyle/democracy-matters-to-me/) [Lindsay Hoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-hoyle/) > [“In a real democracy, what matters is not just the outcome but the way that citizens participate in a debate about the future. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-hume/in-a-real-democracy-what-matters-is-not-just-the-outcome-but-the-way/) [Mick Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-hume/) > [Often, we take stability - peace in terms of security and economic activity - to mean a country is doing well. We forget the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/often-we-take-stability-peace-in-terms-of-security-and-economic/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Good, healthy democratic societies are built on three pillars: there's peace and stability, economic development, and respect for rule of law and human rights.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/good-healthy-democratic-societies-are-built-on-three-pillars-there-s-2/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [I don't think any country can survive as a prosperous and dignified country unless there is rule of law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/i-don-t-think-any-country-can-survive-as-a-prosperous-and-dignified/) [Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/) > [Democratic leaders, whose power is ultimately dependent on popular support, are held accountable for failing to improve the lives of their citizens. Therefore, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natan-sharansky/democratic-leaders-whose-power-is-ultimately-dependent-on-popular/) [Natan Sharansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natan-sharansky/) > [By hook or by crook, we're going to make sure that when I leave this office, that the country is more prosperous, more people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/by-hook-or-by-crook-we-re-going-to-make-sure-that-when-i-leave-this/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [If I were to offer advice to any president of the United States, it would be this: do whatever you can do to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/if-i-were-to-offer-advice-to-any-president-of-the-united-states-it/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Atheism can benefit no class of people; neither the unfortunate, whom it bereaves of hope, nor the prosperous, whose joys it renders insipid, nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-ois-ren-de-chateaubriand/atheism-can-benefit-no-class-of-people-neither-the-unfortunate-whom/) [François-René de Chateaubriand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-ois-ren-de-chateaubriand/) > [Jesus was the poorest of the poor. Roman Catholicism, which claims to be His church, is the richest of the rich, the wealthiest institution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avro-manhattan/jesus-was-the-poorest-of-the-poor-roman-catholicism-which-claims-to/) [Avro Manhattan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avro-manhattan/) ## More by Rory Stewart > [This idea that failure is not an option: It makes failure invisible, inconceivable and inevitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/this-idea-that-failure-is-not-an-option-it-makes-failure-invisible/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [If a relationship is going wrong, if a marriage is going wrong, the answer cannot simply be to say, 'You can't afford to break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/if-a-relationship-is-going-wrong-if-a-marriage-is-going-wrong-the/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [ “He \[Babur\] was a ype of mastiff, bred to fight against wolves, dogs, and humans. . . . The mastiff is perhaps the oldest… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/he-babur-was-a-ype-of-mastiff-bred-to-fight-against-wolves-dogs-and/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [The politicians think the journalists have power, the journalists think bankers have power, bankers think lawyers have power. The truth is, nobody has power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/the-politicians-think-the-journalists-have-power-the-journalists/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [“I recited and followed this song-of-the-places-in-between as a map.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-recited-and-followed-this-song-of-the-places-in-between-as-a-map/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [The Afghan government is much better informed, much more intrusive and ambitious than I had guessed. There are amazing craftsmen in Kabul but few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/the-afghan-government-is-much-better-informed-much-more-intrusive-and/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [I have planted over 6,000 trees at home in Scotland, some of them oak. I'd like my children to be able to watch them grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-have-planted-over-6-000-trees-at-home-in-scotland-some-of-them-oak/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [“Man's life is brief and transitory, Literature endures forever”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/man-s-life-is-brief-and-transitory-literature-endures-forever/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [If things are going wrong in a country, it's not usually that we don't have enough foreigners. It's usually that we have too many.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/if-things-are-going-wrong-in-a-country-it-s-not-usually-that-we-don-t/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [For politicians to be honest, the public needs to allow them to be honest, and the media, which mediates between the politicians and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/for-politicians-to-be-honest-the-public-needs-to-allow-them-to-be/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [“My feet beat out a steady muffled rhythm. My thoughts participated in each step, never getting ahead of me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/my-feet-beat-out-a-steady-muffled-rhythm-my-thoughts-participated-in/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [I left things out - my motivations, my history, my emotional responses - because I am not good at understanding them or writing about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-left-things-out-my-motivations-my-history-my-emotional-responses/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [I like connecting to places by foot, and I'm interested in experiencing how somewhere like Crieff connects to somewhere like London.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-like-connecting-to-places-by-foot-and-i-m-interested-in/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [Religions . . . seem to avoid mountain passes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/religions-seem-to-avoid-mountain-passes/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [Democracy is not simply a question of structures. It is a state of mind. It is an activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/democracy-is-not-simply-a-question-of-structures-it-is-a-state-of/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) [Explore all 62 Rory Stewart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) ## More Democracy quotes > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. 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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": "The point about democracy is not that it delivers legitimate, effective, prosperous rule of law. 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