Jean Francois Revel famous quotes

Democracy tends to ignore, even deny, threats to its existence because it loathes doing what is needed to counter them," explained Revel. "It awakens only when the danger becomes deadly, imminent, and evident. By then, either there is too little time left for it to save itself, or the price of survival has become crushingly high.
-- Jean Francois Revel

#Survival #Democracy #Littles

Clearly, a civilization that feels guilty for everything it is and does will lack the energy and conviction to defend itself.
-- Jean Francois Revel

#Civilization #Energy #Doe

A human group transforms itself into a crowd when it suddenly responds to a suggestion rather than to reasoning, to an image rather than to an idea, to an affirmation rather than to proof, to the repetition of a phrase rather than to arguments, to prestige rather than to competence.
-- Jean Francois Revel

#Ideas #Suggestions #Groups

The totalitarian phenomenon is not to be understood without making an allowance for the thesis that some important part of every society consists of people who actively want tyranny: either to exercise it themselves or - much more mysteriously - to submit to it.
-- Jean Francois Revel

#Exercise #People #Important

To totalitarianism, an opponent is by definition subversive; democracy treats subversives as mere opponents for fear of betraying its principles.
-- Jean Francois Revel

#Democracy #Principles #Definitions

In Europe, anti-Americanism is much more a hobgoblin of the political, cultural, and religious elites.
-- Jean Francois Revel

#Religious #Europe #Political

We want the full works of citizenship with no reservations. We will accept nothing less . . . This condition of freedom, equality, and democracy is not the gift of gods. It is the task of men, yes, men, brave men, honest men, determined men.

Winning Democracy for the Negro is winning the war for Democracy

My critique of democracy begins and ends with this point. Kids must be educated to disrespect authority or else democracy is a farce.

We have shown that Islam can rule the world perfectly for 14 centuries, and during this time of Muslim power we did not borrow ideas like democracy from others, so why do we need to learn democracy from them now?

Right now, I have to admit, that I'm more interested in giving people a little bit of hope and goodness.

Last question. Why do you love Della? - Braden Until Della walked into my life I didn’t understand the idea of love. I had never been in love and experienced very little love in my life. But I’d seen it once -Woods

Some men, like spaniels, will only fawn the more when repulsed, but will pay little heed to a friendly caress.

A tiny remnant of a big thing is better than a whole little thing.

I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.

I am very little inclined on any occasion to say anything unless I hope to produce some good by it.