---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There can be no perfect democracy…"
description: "\"There can be no perfect democracy curtailed by color, race, or poverty. But with all we accomplish all, even peace.\" — W. E. B. Du Bois"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_accomplish_there-can-be-no-perfect-democracy-curtai_2531343.png"
---

#  There can be no perfect democracy curtailed by color…

![“There can be no perfect democracy curtailed by color, race, or poverty. But with all we accomplish all, even peace.” quote by W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_accomplish_there-can-be-no-perfect-democracy-curtai_2531343.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_accomplish_there-can-be-no-perfect-democracy-curtai_2531343.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_accomplish_there-can-be-no-perfect-democracy-curtai_2531343.png)

> “There can be no perfect democracy curtailed by color, race, or poverty. But with all we accomplish all, even peace.”

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

## About This Quote

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

Democracy must be inclusive, not limited by race, color, or poverty, to achieve true peace.

**In simple terms:** All must be included for peace.

Key Takeaway

Ensure equal participation.

Themes

equality democracy peace inclusion

Mood

determined hopeful

Type

political inspirational

When to use this quote

- voting rights campaigns
- community organizing
- policy reform
- education initiatives

Key Concepts

civil rights social justice collective action

Questions to Reflect On

- How can institutions dismantle structural barriers?
- What role does economic equity play in democracy?

A Different Perspective

Implementation is hindered by systemic bias and resistance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/)

## Related quotes

> [If we want to try again, then try again. The point is we have free will to act and accomplish along with the peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-kest/if-we-want-to-try-again-then-try-again-the-point-is-we-have-free-will/)

[Bryan Kest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-kest/)

> [Everybody wants peace. That's a truism. There is no point in accomplishing through war what you can accomplish through peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/everybody-wants-peace-that-s-a-truism-there-is-no-point-in/)

[Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/)

> [Am I embarrassed to speak for a less than perfect democracy? Not one bit. Find me a better one. Do I suppose there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-patrick-moynihan/am-i-embarrassed-to-speak-for-a-less-than-perfect-democracy-not-one/)

[Daniel Patrick Moynihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-patrick-moynihan/)

> [We're not perfect, but we do have democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-chavez/we-re-not-perfect-but-we-do-have-democracy/)

[Hugo Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-chavez/)

> [No democracy is born perfect, and none ever gets to be perfect. Yet democracy is superior to authoritarian and totalitarian regimes because, unlike them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/no-democracy-is-born-perfect-and-none-ever-gets-to-be-perfect-yet/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [“As heirs to a legacy more than two centuries old, it is understandable why present-day Americans would take their own democracy for granted. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/as-heirs-to-a-legacy-more-than-two-centuries-old-it-is-understandable/)

[Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/)

> [No perfect democracy is possible without perfect nonviolence at the back of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-perfect-democracy-is-possible-without-perfect-nonviolence-at-the/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“The America of my time line is a laboratory example of what can happen to democracies, what has eventually happened to all perfect democracies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/the-america-of-my-time-line-is-a-laboratory-example-of-what-can/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Television is the most perfect democracy. You sit there with your remote control and vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-brown/television-is-the-most-perfect-democracy-you-sit-there-with-your/)

[Aaron Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-brown/)

> [A perfect democracy is therefore the most shameless thing in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/a-perfect-democracy-is-therefore-the-most-shameless-thing-in-the-world/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [It is not, perhaps, unreasonable to conclude, that a pure and perfect democracy is a thing not attainable by man, constituted as he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-fraser-tytler/it-is-not-perhaps-unreasonable-to-conclude-that-a-pure-and-perfect/)

[Alexander Fraser Tytler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-fraser-tytler/)

> [But our perfect democracy, which neither needs nor particularly wants voters, is a rarity. It is important to remember there still exist many other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/but-our-perfect-democracy-which-neither-needs-nor-particularly-wants/)

[Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/)

> [America always put forth this phony melting pot theory, but it's a reality now. They couldn't accomplish the melting pot economically; they couldn't accomplish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/america-always-put-forth-this-phony-melting-pot-theory-but-it-s-a/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [The mass incarceration of poor people of color, particularly black men, has emerged as a new caste system, one specifically designed to address the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-mass-incarceration-of-poor-people-of-color-particularly-black-men/)

[Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/)

> [Money is human kind's greatest invention. Money doesn't discriminate. Money doesn't care whether a person is poor, whether a person comes from a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takafumi-horie/money-is-human-kind-s-greatest-invention-money-doesn-t-discriminate/)

[Takafumi Horie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takafumi-horie/)

## More by W. E. B. Du Bois

> [So often do you see collegians enter life with high resolve and lofty purpose and then watch them shrink and shrink to sordid, selfish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/so-often-do-you-see-collegians-enter-life-with-high-resolve-and-lofty/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [As a race, the Negroes are not lazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/as-a-race-the-negroes-are-not-lazy/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [If there is anybody in this land who thoroughly believes that the meek shall inherit the earth they have not often let their presence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/if-there-is-anybody-in-this-land-who-thoroughly-believes-that-the/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [Men we shall have only as we make manhood the object of the work of the schools - intelligence, broad sympathy, knowledge of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/men-we-shall-have-only-as-we-make-manhood-the-object-of-the-work-of/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [Had it not been for the race problem early thrust upon me and enveloping me, I should have probably been an unquestioning worshipper at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/had-it-not-been-for-the-race-problem-early-thrust-upon-me-and/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [Before and after emancipation, the Negro, in self-defense, was propelled toward the white employer. The endowments of wealthy white men have developed great institutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/before-and-after-emancipation-the-negro-in-self-defense-was-propelled/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [The use of slave women as day workers naturally broke up or made impossible the normal Negro home, and this and the slave code…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/the-use-of-slave-women-as-day-workers-naturally-broke-up-or-made/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [Before the Civil War, the Negro was certainly as efficient a workman as the raw immigrant from Ireland or Germany. But, whereas the Irishmen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/before-the-civil-war-the-negro-was-certainly-as-efficient-a-workman/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [All art is propaganda, and ever must be, despite the wailing of the purists. I stand in utter shamelessness and say that whatever art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/all-art-is-propaganda-and-ever-must-be-despite-the-wailing-of-the/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [The ruling of men is the effort to direct the individual actions of many persons toward some end. This end theoretically should be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/the-ruling-of-men-is-the-effort-to-direct-the-individual-actions-of/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [Education is that whole system of human training within and without the school house walls, which molds and develops men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/education-is-that-whole-system-of-human-training-within-and-without/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [As Negro voting increased, Congress got an improved sense of hearing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/as-negro-voting-increased-congress-got-an-improved-sense-of-hearing/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [From the day of its birth, the anomaly of slavery plagued a nation which asserted the equality of all men, and sought to derive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/from-the-day-of-its-birth-the-anomaly-of-slavery-plagued-a-nation/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [It is the stars, it is the ancient stars, it is the young and everlasting stars!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/it-is-the-stars-it-is-the-ancient-stars-it-is-the-young-and/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/it-is-a-peculiar-sensation-this-double-consciousness-this-sense-of/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

[Explore all 177 W. E. B. Du Bois quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

## More Accomplish quotes

> [Learn to see the big picture. Often times we get tunnel vision and lose sight of the big picture and what we're really trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cheeke/learn-to-see-the-big-picture-often-times-we-get-tunnel-vision-and/)

[Robert Cheeke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cheeke/)

> [You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. So you learn. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/you-know-by-the-time-you-reach-my-age-you-ve-made-plenty-of-mistakes/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [I work every day. Sometimes I don't accomplish anything every day, but if I don't work every day, I get depressed and get afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-work-every-day-sometimes-i-don-t-accomplish-anything-every-day-but/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [God has given believers the responsibility of spreading the Gospel to all the world, and we need to use all at our disposal to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-epp/god-has-given-believers-the-responsibility-of-spreading-the-gospel-to/)

[Theodore Epp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-epp/)

> [ \[The Community's\] crosses and trials give me confidence. But I derive my hope above all, and most especially, from our utter incapacity, for it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-guerin/the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give-me-confidence-but-i-derive-my/)

[Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-guerin/)

> [There's things that you want to accomplish, but to do that you have to work. That's the name of the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-schwarber/there-s-things-that-you-want-to-accomplish-but-to-do-that-you-have-to/)

[Kyle Schwarber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-schwarber/)

> [To accomplish much you must first lose everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/to-accomplish-much-you-must-first-lose-everything/)

[Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/)

> [We have to think about the future and what it is we want to accomplish from this party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-bernice-johnson/we-have-to-think-about-the-future-and-what-it-is-we-want-to/)

[Eddie Bernice Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-bernice-johnson/)

> [Everything that I have ever hoped to accomplish, she has done and done better than anyone I have ever seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/everything-that-i-have-ever-hoped-to-accomplish-she-has-done-and-done/)

[Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/)

> [There's a lot that I want to accomplish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-s-a-lot-that-i-want-to-accomplish/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [For what we want to accomplish in the future, we have to be able to view everything from the eyes of the customer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-katz/for-what-we-want-to-accomplish-in-the-future-we-have-to-be-able-to/)

[Karen Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-katz/)

> [And for me the only way to live life is to grab the bull by the horns and call up recording studios and set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-frusciante/and-for-me-the-only-way-to-live-life-is-to-grab-the-bull-by-the-horns/)

[John Frusciante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-frusciante/)

> [A great tennis career is something that a 15-year-old normally doesn't have. I hope my example helps other teens believe they can accomplish things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/a-great-tennis-career-is-something-that-a-15-year-old-normally-doesn/)

[Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/)

> [Somebody once told me that if you laugh at a George Bush joke, or you send an email cartoon to your friends that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/somebody-once-told-me-that-if-you-laugh-at-a-george-bush-joke-or-you/)

[Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/)

> [One should not withdraw from individuals and commit to the community what they can accomplish by their own enterprise and industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-xi/one-should-not-withdraw-from-individuals-and-commit-to-the-community/)

[Pope Pius XI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-xi/)

Browse all 2,426 Accomplish quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There can be no perfect democracy curtailed by color, race, or poverty. But with all we accomplish all, even peace.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "W. E. B. Du Bois"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/there-can-be-no-perfect-democracy-curtailed-by-color-race-or-poverty/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accomplish"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/there-can-be-no-perfect-democracy-curtailed-by-color-race-or-poverty/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_accomplish_there-can-be-no-perfect-democracy-curtai_2531343.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_accomplish_there-can-be-no-perfect-democracy-curtai_2531343.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/w-e-b-du-bois-2240_accomplish_there-can-be-no-perfect-democracy-curtai_2531343.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There can be no perfect democracy curtailed by color, race, or poverty. But with all we accomplish all, even…” — W. E. B. Du Bois",
                "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": "W. E. B. Du Bois",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There can be no perfect democracy...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/there-can-be-no-perfect-democracy-curtailed-by-color-race-or-poverty/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/there-can-be-no-perfect-democracy-curtailed-by-color-race-or-poverty/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
