Populist Quotes

“Political tags — such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth — are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire. The former are idealists acting from highest motives for the greatest good of the greatest number. The latter are surly curmudgeons, suspicious and lacking in altruism. But they are more comfortable neighbors than the other sort.”
― Robert A. Heinlein

“If we put our trust in the common sense of common men and 'with malice toward none and charity for all' go forward on the great adventure of making political, economic and social democracy a practical reality, we shall not fail.”
― Henry Wallace

“We meet in the midst of a nation brought to the verge of moral, political, and material ruin. Corruption dominates the ballot-box, the Legislatures, the Congress…. The people are demoralized; The newspapers are largely subsidized or muzzled, public opinion silenced, business prostrated, homes covered with mortgages, labor impoverished…. The fruits of the toil of millions are badly stolen to build up colossal fortunes for a few, unprecedented in the history of mankind; and the possessors of these, in turn, despise the Republic and endanger liberty. From the same prolific womb of governmental injustice we breed the two great classes—tramps and millionaires.”
― Ignatius Donnelly

“Thou hast most traitorously corrupted the youth of the realm in erecting a grammar school; and whereas, before, our forefathers had no other books but the score and the tally, thou hast caused printing to be used, and, contrary to the king, his crown, and dignity, thou hast built a paper-mill. It will be proved to thy face that thou hast men about thee that usually talk of a noun and a verb, and such abominable words as no Christian ear can endure to hear. Thou hast appointed justices of peace, to call poor men before them about matters they were not able to answer. Moreover, thou hast put them in prison, and because they could not read, thou hast hanged them; when, indeed, only for that cause they have been most worthy to live.”
― William Shakespeare, King Henry VI, Part 2

“There is a difference between an uprising against oppression and mob rule.”
― Abhijit Naskar, No Foreigner Only Family

“Many populist victors continue to behave like victims; majorities act like mistreated minorities.”
― Jan-Werner Müller, What Is Populism?

“Dumbbells believe celebrities as the measure of civilization, so let me put it straight, the measure of civilization is character and character alone.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Heart Force One: Need No Gun to Defend Society

“A “crisis” is not an objective state of affairs but a matter of interpretation. Populist will often eagerly frame a situation as a crisis, calling it an existential threat, because such a crisis then serves to legitimate populist governance.”
― Jan-Werner Müller, What Is Populism?

“Populists are, after all, often deemed to be heirs of the Jacobins.”
― Jan-Werner Müller, What Is Populism?

“Populist constitutions are designed to limit the power of nonpopulists, even when the latter form the government. Conflict then becomes inevitable. The constitution ceases to be a framework for politics and instead is treated as a purely partisan instrument to capture the polity.”
― Jan-Werner Müller, What Is Populism?

“It´s a populist irony--the strongman comes to power by making impossible and destructive promises to the disenfranchised. Do they actually have any intention of helping these people? Of course not. In fact, they´ll actively stymie any reforms that will actually make the system more fair. All that matters is their iron grip on their ignorant base and the power that comes from it.”
― Ryan Holiday, Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius

“Corrupt politicians are only symptom, real disease is populist democracy.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Mucize Insan: When The World is Family

“There is no such thing as pop culture, you can either have populism or culture.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Esperanza Impossible: 100 Sonnets of Ethics, Engineering & Existence

“There are 2 types of revolutionaries: those bred through a rich education, and those bred through a poor education. But there is truly only one revolution, and that is of a populace fed up.”
― Criss Jami