14 Quotes About Democracy That Will Make You Want to Get Out and Vote
Updated: Nov. 05, 2021
Thought-provoking ideas from presidents, authors, activists, and everyone in between.
Why we vote
Editor’s Note: Reader’s Digest is partnering with WeThePurple.org to republish articles from our archives that dramatize and revive patriotic enthusiasm about democracy and its core values. Reader’s Digest has long published inspiring quotations about every imaginable topic both from well-known individuals and our millions of readers.
Casting our vote is fundamental to our democracy. To past generations who prevailed against fascism and totalitarianism, to women, and to African Americans who fought hard for the right, voting has been a duty and a privilege. Voter turnout tends to hover between 50-60% in presidential elections, with low turnout attributed to apathy, disillusionment, or simply the feeling that’s one’s vote won’t make a difference. But nothing is further from the truth. If you’re looking for a reason to get excited about voting, read on:
Franklin D. Roosevelt on the power of a vote
Alexander Woollcott on successful democracy
Abraham Lincoln on elections
Suzy Kassem on choosing great leaders
Gore Vidal on being an informed voter
Lyndon B. Johnson on injustice
Richelle E. Goodrich on honoring sacrifice
Larry Sabato on showing up
Robert A. Heinlein on deciding whom to vote for
Howard Zinn on the importance of protest
Bayard Rustin on why democracy is both a means and an end
Atifete Jahiaga on why being informed matters
Kofi Annan on education and democracy
John Quincy Adams on how to cast your vote
