--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The ideal form of government is democracy…" description: "\"The ideal form of government is democracy tempered with assassination.\" — Voltaire" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/voltaire-173_assassination_the-ideal-form-of-government-is-democrac_372300.png" --- # The ideal form of government is democracy tempered with… ![“The ideal form of government is democracy tempered with assassination.” quote by Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/voltaire-173_assassination_the-ideal-form-of-government-is-democrac_372300.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/voltaire-173_assassination_the-ideal-form-of-government-is-democrac_372300.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/voltaire-173_assassination_the-ideal-form-of-government-is-democrac_372300.png) > “The ideal form of government is democracy tempered with assassination.” [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A satirical claim that democracy alone is insufficient, suggesting extreme measures to control its flaws. **In simple terms:** Democracy needs checks, sometimes harsh. Key Takeaway Consider safeguards for democratic systems. Themes politics power control Mood critical provocative Type political satirical When to use this quote - elections - policy making - civil unrest - authoritarian threats Key Concepts democracy satire political theory Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance liberty with security? - What safeguards prevent abuse of power? A Different Perspective Extreme solutions can undermine freedoms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assassination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assassination/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Democracy Tempered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy-tempered-1544943/) [Form Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form-government/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-democracy-358651/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [An ideal form of government is democracy tempered with assassination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/an-ideal-form-of-government-is-democracy-tempered-with-assassination/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Tyranny is usually tempered with assassination, and Democracy must be tempered with culture. In the absence of this, it turns into a representation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/tyranny-is-usually-tempered-with-assassination-and-democracy-must-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The form of government is a democracy when the free, who are also poor and the majority, govern, and an oligarchy when the rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-form-of-government-is-a-democracy-when-the-free-who-are-also-poor/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [There is no better form of government than democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-kurz/there-is-no-better-form-of-government-than-democracy/) [Sebastian Kurz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-kurz/) > [Every culture has its distinctive and normal system of government. Yours is democracy, moderated by corruption. Ours is totalitarianism, moderated by assassination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-culture-has-its-distinctive-and-normal-system-of-government/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is the worst form of government. It is the most inefficient, the most clumsy, the most unpractical… It reduces wisdom to impotence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-briffault/democracy-is-the-worst-form-of-government-it-is-the-most-inefficient/) [Robert Briffault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-briffault/) > [The best government is a benevolent tyranny tempered by an occasional assassination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-best-government-is-a-benevolent-tyranny-tempered-by-an-occasional/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Every time the Tories are in government, our democracy takes a battering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-lewis/every-time-the-tories-are-in-government-our-democracy-takes-a/) [Clive Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-lewis/) > [The federal government and our democracy is not a speedboat. It's an oceanliner, as I discovered when I came into office. It took a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-federal-government-and-our-democracy-is-not-a-speedboat-it-s-an/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Because the rich are generally few in number, while the poor are many, they appear to be antagonistic, and as the one or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/because-the-rich-are-generally-few-in-number-while-the-poor-are-many/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-fraser-tytler/a-democracy-is-always-temporary-in-nature-it-simply-cannot-exist-as-a/) [Alexander Fraser Tytler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-fraser-tytler/) > [“In other words, the government of the democracy is the only one under which the power which lays on taxes escapes the payment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/in-other-words-the-government-of-the-democracy-is-the-only-one-under/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [If there is a rotten government in a democracy, the main reason for this is that there is a rotten majority over there!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-there-is-a-rotten-government-in-a-democracy-the-main-reason-for/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [One-man-one-vote combined with "free entry" into government-democracy--implies that every person and his personal property comes within reach of-and is up for grabs by-everyone else:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-hermann-hoppe/one-man-one-vote-combined-with-free-entry-into-government-democracy/) [Hans-Hermann Hoppe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-hermann-hoppe/) > [We still have politicians who strive for a different type of country: Kaczynski as well as Orbán in Hungary. They want a gradual coup.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-michnik/we-still-have-politicians-who-strive-for-a-different-type-of-country/) [Adam Michnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-michnik/) ## More by Voltaire > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Fanaticism, to which men are so much inclined, has always served not only to render them more brutalized but more wicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/fanaticism-to-which-men-are-so-much-inclined-has-always-served-not/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [We’re neither pure, nor wise, nor good; we do the best we know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/we-re-neither-pure-nor-wise-nor-good-we-do-the-best-we-know/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is with books as with men: a very small number play a great part, the rest are lost in the multitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-with-books-as-with-men-a-very-small-number-play-a-great-part/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Meslier was the most singular phenomenon ever seen among all the meteors fatal to the Christian religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/meslier-was-the-most-singular-phenomenon-ever-seen-among-all-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Being unable to make people more reasonable, I preferred to be happy away from them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/being-unable-to-make-people-more-reasonable-i-preferred-to-be-happy/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [When his highness sends a ship to Egypt, does he trouble his head whether the mice on board are at their ease or not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/when-his-highness-sends-a-ship-to-egypt-does-he-trouble-his-head/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Madness is to think of too many things in succession too fast, or of one thing too exclusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/madness-is-to-think-of-too-many-things-in-succession-too-fast-or-of/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/god-gave-us-the-gift-of-life-it-is-up-to-us-to-give-ourselves-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-not-inequality-which-is-the-real-misfortune-it-is-dependence/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Providence has given us hope and sleep as a compensation for the many cares of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/providence-has-given-us-hope-and-sleep-as-a-compensation-for-the-many/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Men use thought only to justify their wrong doings, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/men-use-thought-only-to-justify-their-wrong-doings-and-employ-speech/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/work-spares-us-from-three-evils-boredom-vice-and-need/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) [Explore all 934 Voltaire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) ## More Assassination quotes > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [ We have the ability to take him \[President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez\] out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-robertson/we-have-the-ability-to-take-him-president-of-venezuela-hugo-chavez/) [Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-robertson/) > [“Assassination is murder with a touch more precision. Brother Sim is precise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/assassination-is-murder-with-a-touch-more-precision-brother-sim-is/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [Strange, (is it not?) that battles, martyrs, blood, even assassination should so condense - perhaps only really lastingly condense - a Nationality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/strange-is-it-not-that-battles-martyrs-blood-even-assassination/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [In modern day academia, secretly assassinating your peers is not necessarily performed the same way it was in king Tarquins day. The growth in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-spacey/in-modern-day-academia-secretly-assassinating-your-peers-is-not/) [Simon Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-spacey/) > [The Romans have provided a lot of writers with a model for various interstellar empires, of course, and no wonder. The Roman Empire is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-leckie/the-romans-have-provided-a-lot-of-writers-with-a-model-for-various/) [Ann Leckie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-leckie/) > [We know from Talmadge Hayer, one of the men who carried out the assassination, who was shot by Ruben X as he tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manning-marable/we-know-from-talmadge-hayer-one-of-the-men-who-carried-out-the/) [Manning Marable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manning-marable/) > [Assassination's the fastest way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/assassination-s-the-fastest-way/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [“He also had a condition that was referred to as granulated eyelids and it caused him to blink more than usual, as if he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-hansen/he-also-had-a-condition-that-was-referred-to-as-granulated-eyelids/) [Ron Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-hansen/) > [“Hundreds of political assassinations related to minority races, labor leaders and spokesmen against fascism have taken place in the U.S. since World War II.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-brussell/hundreds-of-political-assassinations-related-to-minority-races-labor/) [Mae Brussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-brussell/) > [However, after the assassination of Salman Taseer, the killer of Salman Taseer was welcomed by the religious fanatics. And they showered rose petals on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahbaz-bhatti/however-after-the-assassination-of-salman-taseer-the-killer-of-salman/) [Shahbaz Bhatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahbaz-bhatti/) > [There is not a single celebrated Southern name in any of the departments of human industry except those of war, assassination, lynching, murder, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-not-a-single-celebrated-southern-name-in-any-of-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I think that the implication of King's assassination has not been fully appreciated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/i-think-that-the-implication-of-king-s-assassination-has-not-been/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [The Senate has been debased to the level of a forum of hate and character assassination sheltered by the shield of congressional immunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-chase-smith/the-senate-has-been-debased-to-the-level-of-a-forum-of-hate-and/) [Margaret Chase Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-chase-smith/) > [A deep, black grief gripped Robert Kennedy in the months following his brother's assassination. He lost weight, fell into melancholy silences, wore his brother's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurston-clarke/a-deep-black-grief-gripped-robert-kennedy-in-the-months-following-his/) [Thurston Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurston-clarke/) [Browse all 264 Assassination quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assassination/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The ideal form of government is democracy tempered with assassination.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Voltaire" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-ideal-form-of-government-is-democracy-tempered-with-assassination/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assassination" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-ideal-form-of-government-is-democracy-tempered-with-assassination/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/voltaire-173_assassination_the-ideal-form-of-government-is-democrac_372300.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/voltaire-173_assassination_the-ideal-form-of-government-is-democrac_372300.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/voltaire-173_assassination_the-ideal-form-of-government-is-democrac_372300.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The ideal form of government is democracy tempered with assassination.” — Voltaire", "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": "Voltaire", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The ideal form of government is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-ideal-form-of-government-is-democracy-tempered-with-assassination/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-ideal-form-of-government-is-democracy-tempered-with-assassination/#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 } } ] } ```