--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To include freedom in the very definition…" description: "\"To include freedom in the very definition of democracy is to define a process not by its actual characteristics as a process but by its hoped for resul..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/thomas-sowell-247_characteristics_to-include-freedom-in-the-very-definitio_503706.jpg" --- # To include freedom in the very definition of democracy is… ![“To include freedom in the very definition of democracy is to define a process not by its actual characteristics as a process but by its hoped for results. This is not only intellectually invalid, it is, in practical terms, blinding oneself in advance to some of the unwanted consequences of the…” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/thomas-sowell-247_characteristics_to-include-freedom-in-the-very-definitio_503706.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/thomas-sowell-247_characteristics_to-include-freedom-in-the-very-definitio_503706.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/thomas-sowell-247_characteristics_to-include-freedom-in-the-very-definitio_503706.jpg) > “To include freedom in the very definition of democracy is to define a process not by its actual characteristics as a process but by its hoped for results. This is not only intellectually invalid, it is, in practical terms, blinding oneself in advance to some of the unwanted consequences of the process.” [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Defining democracy by ideal outcomes ignores its real mechanisms, leading to blind spots about negative effects. **In simple terms:** Ideal goals shouldn't replace understanding how democracy actually works. Key Takeaway Focus on process, not just ideals. Themes politics democracy policy Mood critical analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - legislative reform - voting systems - public policy design Key Concepts theory vs practice unintended consequences Questions to Reflect On - What are the real risks of ignoring process? - How can we balance ideals with practical governance? A Different Perspective Idealism can overlook practical flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Characteristics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characteristics/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Definition Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/definition-democracy-281646/) [Definitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/definitions/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Democracy Define](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy-define-4284087/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Definition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-definition-2293660/) [Include Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/include-freedom-814276/) [Oneself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneself/) [Practicals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practicals/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Unwanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unwanted/) ## Related quotes > [Freedom, by definition, is people realizing that they are their own leaders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-nash/freedom-by-definition-is-people-realizing-that-they-are-their-own/) [Diane Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-nash/) > [I am free when I am functioning here in time and space as the creative will. ... freedom by our definition is obedience to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-parker-follett/i-am-free-when-i-am-functioning-here-in-time-and-space-as-the/) [Mary Parker Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-parker-follett/) > [We will freedom for freedom’s sake, in and through particular circumstances. And in thus willing freedom, we discover that it depends entirely upon the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/we-will-freedom-for-freedom-s-sake-in-and-through-particular/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [And that is my definition of democracy, the right to be in a minority and not be suppressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-harvey-oswald/and-that-is-my-definition-of-democracy-the-right-to-be-in-a-minority/) [Lee Harvey Oswald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-harvey-oswald/) > [Lincoln's reference to government of the people, by the people, for the people is a generally satisfactory definition of democracy. I say generally because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-aiken/lincoln-s-reference-to-government-of-the-people-by-the-people-for-the/) [George Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-aiken/) > [I am not concerned with dodging the odium of the word. The proposed definition of democracy is socialistic . . . (democracy) should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-croly/i-am-not-concerned-with-dodging-the-odium-of-the-word-the-proposed/) [Herbert Croly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-croly/) > [My definition of democracy is - A form and a method of Government whereby revolutionary changes in the social life are brought about without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-definition-of-democracy-is-a-form-and-a-method-of-government/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we speak of the origin of western democracy it's precisely here, in this territory that the modern definition of democracy first emerged in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/when-we-speak-of-the-origin-of-western-democracy-it-s-precisely-here/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [“Article 19 1. Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference. 2. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/international-covenant-on-civil-and-political-rights/article-19-1-everyone-shall-have-the-right-to-hold-opinions-without/) [International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/international-covenant-on-civil-and-political-rights/) > [Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/freedom-is-not-worth-having-if-it-does-not-include-the-freedom-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom :-D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drparth/freedom-is-not-worth-having-if-it-does-not-include-the-freedom-d/) [Drparth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drparth/) > [“Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mahatma-gandhi-said-freedom-is-not-worth-having-if-it-does-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Speaking for myself, my very integrity as a human being needs to include my freedom to explore who I am both spiritually and sexually.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/speaking-for-myself-my-very-integrity-as-a-human-being-needs-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It turns out that freedom in Christ does not necessarily include freedom spatially, or relationally, or vocationally. More often than not, we will blossom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-swoboda/it-turns-out-that-freedom-in-christ-does-not-necessarily-include/) [A.J. Swoboda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-swoboda/) > [Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes! Happy 4th of July!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/freedom-is-not-worth-having-if-it-does-not-include-the-freedom-to-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Thomas Sowell > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [There is no bigger waste of time than doing 90% of what is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/there-is-no-bigger-waste-of-time-than-doing-90-of-what-is-necessary/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/if-you-have-always-believed-that-everyone-should-play-by-the-same/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“In 1962, Democratic President John F. Kennedy, like both Democratic and Republican Presidents and Secretaries of the Treasury in earlier years, pointed out that “it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/in-1962-democratic-president-john-f-kennedy-like-both-democratic-and/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Ideological bigotry has become the norm on even our most prestigious campuses, where students can go for years without reading or hearing anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ideological-bigotry-has-become-the-norm-on-even-our-most-prestigious/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Bailing out people who made ill-advised mortgages makes no more sense that bailing out people who lost their life savings in Las Vegas casinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/bailing-out-people-who-made-ill-advised-mortgages-makes-no-more-sense/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“One third of all Scots in the mid-nineteenth century moved from one county to another”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/one-third-of-all-scots-in-the-mid-nineteenth-century-moved-from-one/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The difference is that we have the hardest and most painful evidence that there was a Holocaust. But, for the global warming scenario that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-difference-is-that-we-have-the-hardest-and-most-painful-evidence/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“Just as price fluctuations allocate scarce resources which have alternative uses, price controls which limit those fluctuations reduce the incentives for individuals to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/just-as-price-fluctuations-allocate-scarce-resources-which-have/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The greatest danger to the liberal vision are facts about the consequences of liberalism itself and the laws, policies, and ways of life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-greatest-danger-to-the-liberal-vision-are-facts-about-the/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Having spent years ruining the housing markets with their interference, leading to a housing meltdown that has taken the whole economy down with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/having-spent-years-ruining-the-housing-markets-with-their/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Do all children have some inherent right to live in America if they have done nothing wrong? If not, then why should the children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/do-all-children-have-some-inherent-right-to-live-in-america-if-they/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [What 'eminent domain' laws mean in practice is that politicians have a right to seize your property and turn it over to someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/what-eminent-domain-laws-mean-in-practice-is-that-politicians-have-a/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“those parts of the British Isles without the advantage of coal deposits or ports, industrialization was as handicapped as in other countries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/those-parts-of-the-british-isles-without-the-advantage-of-coal/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The whole idea of equal justice under law is completely incompatible with the idea of judges deciding cases according to "empathy".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-whole-idea-of-equal-justice-under-law-is-completely-incompatible/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) [Explore all 823 Thomas Sowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## More Characteristics quotes > [One of the key characteristics of the comic book medium is that it is not brought to life by just one voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-lee/one-of-the-key-characteristics-of-the-comic-book-medium-is-that-it-is/) [Jim Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-lee/) > [“What makes a good leader? 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It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/sometimes-ms-lane-he-said-one-must-break-with-one-s-past-to-embrace/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Just because someone thinks they remember something in detail, with confidence and with emotion, does not mean that it actually happened, .. False memories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-loftus/just-because-someone-thinks-they-remember-something-in-detail-with/) [Elizabeth Loftus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-loftus/) > [Consequently, citizen legislators, rotating back to their communities after a short period of public service—considered an indispensable and routine characteristic and design of representative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/consequently-citizen-legislators-rotating-back-to-their-communities/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A second characteristic of the process which for me is the good life, is that it involves an increasingly tendency to live fully in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/a-second-characteristic-of-the-process-which-for-me-is-the-good-life/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [Philanthropy is one of the most hopeful characteristics of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-livermore/philanthropy-is-one-of-the-most-hopeful-characteristics-of-our-time/) [Mary Livermore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-livermore/) > [God has given this way of life to Israel: to abstain from everything which is contrary to nature, that is to say, anger, fits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poemen/god-has-given-this-way-of-life-to-israel-to-abstain-from-everything/) [Poemen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poemen/) > [The most significant moment will be when we stop referring to the hiring of qualified women (and racial, ethnic and religious minorities) as significant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-trask/the-most-significant-moment-will-be-when-we-stop-referring-to-the/) [Amy Trask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-trask/) > [Iron and coal dominated everywhere, from grey to black: the black boots, the black stove-pipe hat, the black coach or carriage, the black iron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/iron-and-coal-dominated-everywhere-from-grey-to-black-the-black-boots/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. 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