---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Indian democracy has often been likened…"
description: "\"Indian democracy has often been likened to the stately progress of the elephant - ponderous in its gait and reluctant to change course, but not easily ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/shashi-tharoor-2698_been_indian-democracy-has-often-been-likened_2671661.png"
---

#  Indian democracy has often been likened to the stately…

![“Indian democracy has often been likened to the stately progress of the elephant - ponderous in its gait and reluctant to change course, but not easily swayed from its new path when it does.” quote by Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/shashi-tharoor-2698_been_indian-democracy-has-often-been-likened_2671661.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/shashi-tharoor-2698_been_indian-democracy-has-often-been-likened_2671661.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/shashi-tharoor-2698_been_indian-democracy-has-often-been-likened_2671661.png)

> “Indian democracy has often been likened to the stately progress of the elephant - ponderous in its gait and reluctant to change course, but not easily swayed from its new path when it does.”

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Indian democracy moves slowly like an elephant, resistant to change but hard to divert once a path is set.

**In simple terms:** Democracy is slow but steady.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the inertia in large systems.

Themes

politics slow change stability

Mood

analytical critical

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- government reform
- social movements

Key Concepts

institutional inertia policy reform

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we accelerate democratic progress?
- What mechanisms can redirect entrenched paths?

A Different Perspective

Change can be stalled by bureaucracy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Course](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-course/) [Course](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/course/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Democracy Likened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy-likened-2507082/) [Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/does/) [Easily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easily/) [Elephant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elephant/) [Elephant Ponderous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elephant-ponderous-2507084/) [Indian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indian/) [Indian Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indian-democracy-497077/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [Often](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/often/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Progress Elephant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress-elephant-2507083/) [Reluctant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reluctant/) [Reluctant Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reluctant-change-257186/) [Swayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swayed/)

## Related quotes

> [“I'm a riddle in nine syllables, An elephant, a ponderous house, A melon strolling on two tendrils. O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers! This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-m-a-riddle-in-nine-syllables-an-elephant-a-ponderous-house-a-melon/)

[Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/)

> [“Love of democracy can be likened to a mother's love for her son.It must be cherished,nurtured and protected for all of time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ortiz/love-of-democracy-can-be-likened-to-a-mother-s-love-for-her-son-it/)

[J R Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ortiz/)

> [ Kate \[DiCamillo\] tends to be more reluctant about change. I convinced her to give it a try and she came over. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-mcghee/kate-dicamillo-tends-to-be-more-reluctant-about-change-i-convinced/)

[Alison McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-mcghee/)

> [“We have in past been forced into reluctant change by weather, calamity, and plague. Now the pressure comes from our biologic success as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/we-have-in-past-been-forced-into-reluctant-change-by-weather-calamity/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [When you are reluctant to change, think of the beauty of autumn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-v-brown/when-you-are-reluctant-to-change-think-of-the-beauty-of-autumn/)

[V V Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-v-brown/)

> [We're very reluctant to change, even though we know that all things change, and especially our relationships are just determined to change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-nolte/we-re-very-reluctant-to-change-even-though-we-know-that-all-things/)

[Nick Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-nolte/)

> [Federal system is at the heart of Indian democracy but UPA is adamant to break the nation by breaking the federal structure for their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/federal-system-is-at-the-heart-of-indian-democracy-but-upa-is-adamant/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

> [Indian democracy's greatest strength is that we have always put the nation above politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atal-bihari-vajpayee/indian-democracy-s-greatest-strength-is-that-we-have-always-put-the/)

[Atal Bihari Vajpayee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atal-bihari-vajpayee/)

> [Kalaignar will always shape up alliances at the national level keeping the welfare of Tamil Nadu and the Indian democracy in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-k-stalin/kalaignar-will-always-shape-up-alliances-at-the-national-level/)

[M. K. Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-k-stalin/)

> [I believe in all the secular values that Indian democracy is famous for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manisha-koirala/i-believe-in-all-the-secular-values-that-indian-democracy-is-famous/)

[Manisha Koirala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manisha-koirala/)

> [Democracy is essential for equality. Thank God, Indian democracy is still working. That is because every Indian is essentially a thinker. Thinking is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gulzar/democracy-is-essential-for-equality-thank-god-indian-democracy-is/)

[Gulzar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gulzar/)

> [My election to the position of president is the symbol of the greatness of Indian democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-nath-kovind/my-election-to-the-position-of-president-is-the-symbol-of-the/)

[Ram Nath Kovind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-nath-kovind/)

> [Indira Gandhi had been this very powerful, dominating, ambiguous mother figure. Ambiguous because she was tyrannical, she had imposed...she had suspended Indian democracy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/indira-gandhi-had-been-this-very-powerful-dominating-ambiguous-mother/)

[Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/)

> [I want to be part of a family which wants to improve Indian democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-sreesanth/i-want-to-be-part-of-a-family-which-wants-to-improve-indian-democracy/)

[S. Sreesanth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-sreesanth/)

> [Most of us tend to be swayed by what we read. Judges are not superhuman. They, too, are mortals. This is why they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/most-of-us-tend-to-be-swayed-by-what-we-read-judges-are-not/)

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

## More by Shashi Tharoor

> [“six decades of Independence have wrought significant change, as exposure to British practices has faded and India’s natural boisterousness has reasserted itself. Some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/six-decades-of-independence-have-wrought-significant-change-as/)

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

> [“My China Diary and Walking With Lions, were memoirs of his diplomatic and political experiences. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/my-china-diary-and-walking-with-lions-were-memoirs-of-his-diplomatic/)

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

> [The U.N. guards the vital principles entrenched in its charter, notably the sovereign equality of states and the inadmissibility of interference in their internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-u-n-guards-the-vital-principles-entrenched-in-its-charter-notably/)

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

> [“control. The people’s character is deliberately debased, their mind is denationalized and perpetually kept in ignorance and fed with stories of England’s greatness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/control-the-people-s-character-is-deliberately-debased-their-mind-is/)

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

> [“The past is not necessarily a guide to the future, but it does partly help explain the present. One cannot, as I have written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-past-is-not-necessarily-a-guide-to-the-future-but-it-does-partly/)

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

> [The steep decline in America's image and standing after 9/11 is a direct reflection of global distaste for the instruments of American hard power:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-steep-decline-in-america-s-image-and-standing-after-9-11-is-a/)

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

> [“On election days, the burdens of poverty and corruption and of a creaky economic system are put aside, and India celebrates. Many voters dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/on-election-days-the-burdens-of-poverty-and-corruption-and-of-a/)

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

> [“History, in any case, cannot be reduced to some sort of game of comparing misdeeds in different eras; each period must be judged in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/history-in-any-case-cannot-be-reduced-to-some-sort-of-game-of/)

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

> [“India is my country, and in that sense my outrage is personal. But I seek nothing from history—only an account of itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/india-is-my-country-and-in-that-sense-my-outrage-is-personal-but-i/)

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

> [I make no bones about the fact that India matters to me, and I would like to matter to India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/i-make-no-bones-about-the-fact-that-india-matters-to-me-and-i-would/)

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

> [“In debate he thought high and aimed low.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/in-debate-he-thought-high-and-aimed-low/)

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

> [“Jawaharlal Nehru, who wrote in a 1936 letter to an Englishman, Lord Lothian, that British rule is ‘based on an extreme form of widespread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/jawaharlal-nehru-who-wrote-in-a-1936-letter-to-an-englishman-lord/)

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

> [Much of the conventional analysis of India's stature in the world relies on the all-too-familiar economic assumptions. But we are famously a land of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/much-of-the-conventional-analysis-of-india-s-stature-in-the-world/)

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

> [Universality of the UN is a worthwhile thing in its own self because it means that every country belongs, feels it has a stake,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/universality-of-the-un-is-a-worthwhile-thing-in-its-own-self-because/)

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

> [The Chinese, as befits a Communist autocracy, approached the task of dominating the Olympics with top-down military discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-chinese-as-befits-a-communist-autocracy-approached-the-task-of/)

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

[Explore all 153 Shashi Tharoor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

## More Been quotes

> [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/)

[Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/)

> [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/)

[Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/)

> [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/)

[Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/)

> [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/)

[Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

> [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/)

[Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/)

> [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/)

[Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/)

> [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

> [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/)

[Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/)

> [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/)

[Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/)

> [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/)

[Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/)

> [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/)

[Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/)

[Browse all 13,699 Been quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Indian democracy has often been likened to the stately progress of the elephant - ponderous in its gait and reluctant to change course, but not easily swayed from its new path when it does.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Shashi Tharoor"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/indian-democracy-has-often-been-likened-to-the-stately-progress-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Been"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/indian-democracy-has-often-been-likened-to-the-stately-progress-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/shashi-tharoor-2698_been_indian-democracy-has-often-been-likened_2671661.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/shashi-tharoor-2698_been_indian-democracy-has-often-been-likened_2671661.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/shashi-tharoor-2698_been_indian-democracy-has-often-been-likened_2671661.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Indian democracy has often been likened to the stately progress of the elephant - ponderous in its gait and…” — Shashi Tharoor",
                "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": "Shashi Tharoor",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Indian democracy has often been likened...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/indian-democracy-has-often-been-likened-to-the-stately-progress-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/indian-democracy-has-often-been-likened-to-the-stately-progress-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
