'Things that are back to front are often easier to comprehend if they are upside down as well, said Lord Vetinari, tapping his chin with the silver knob of his can in an absent-minded way. 'In life as in politics.' (TT)
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He'd said to the people: you're free. And they said hooray, and then he showed them what freedom costs and they called him a tyrant .... (FC)
‘… you can’t start with a democracy. You have to work up through stuff like tyranny and monarchy first. That way people are so relieved when they get to democracy that they hang on to it.’ (BOS)
‘I thought you told me a dimocracy was where people did what they wanted to do,’ she said.
‘It’s a democracy,’ I said. ‘And it’s fine for people to do what they want to do, provided they do what’s right.’ (BOS) There’s no slavery as such, except to tradition, but tradition wields a heavy lash. I mean, maybe democracy isn’t perfect, but at least we don’t let ourselves be outvoted by the dead. (BOS)
'There should be no slaves, even slaves to instinct.' (UA)
... when it comes to voting or fishing, sea bass usually wins. (N)
This is pure democracy. People don't just get a vote, they get a say … (N)
In fact the Guild, he liked to think, practiced the ultimate democracy. You didn’t need intelligence, social position, beauty or charm to hire it. You just needed money which, unlike the other stuff, was available to everyone. Except for the poor, of course, but there was no helping some people. (H)
'It's only money.’
‘Yes, but it’s only my money, not only your money,’ Nanny pointed out. ‘We witches have always held everything in common, you know that,’ said Granny. ‘Well, yes,’said Nanny, and once again cut to the heart of the sociopolitical debate. ‘It’s easy to hold everything in common when no one’s got anything.' (Ma) 'And is he a fair and just ruler?’
Carding thought about it. The Patrician’s spy network was said to be superb. ‘I would say,’ he said carefully, ‘that he is unfair and unjust, but scrupulously even-handed. He is unfair and unjust to everyone, without fear or favour’. (S) Vimes had never got on with any game more complex than darts. Chess in particular had always annoyed him. It was the dumb way the pawns went off and slaughtered their fellow pawns while the kings lounged about doing nothing that always got him; if only the pawns united, maybe talked the rooks round, the whole board could’ve been a republic in a dozen moves. (Th)
'... I think that once you’ve shown solidarity, you should be allowed just a little extra.' (AM)
There was a rumour that the sword in the stick had been made with the iron taken from the blood of a thousand men. It seemed a waste, thought Moist, when for a bit of extra work you could get enough to make a ploughshare. (MM)
'I love democracy. I could listen to it all day.' (MM)
'Listen, Peaches, trickery is what humans are all about,’ said the voice of Maurice. ‘They’re so keen on tricking one another all the time that they elect governments to do it for them.' (AM)
'In return, however,’ said the Patrician, ‘I must ask you not to upset Commander Vimes.’ He gave a little cough. ‘More than necessary.’
‘I’m sure we can pull together, sir.’ ‘Oh, I do hope not, I really do hope not. Pulling together is the aim of despotism and tyranny. Free men pull in all kinds of directions.’ He smiled. ‘It’s the only way to make progress.' (TT) 'The right to free speech is an old Ankh-Morpork tradition.’
‘Good heavens, is it?’ ‘Yes, my lord.’ ‘How did that one survive?' (TT) He knew about concerned citizens. Wherever they were, they all spoke the same private language, where ‘traditional values’ meant ‘hang someone’. (TT)
'I'm sure no one could call me a despot, your reverence,’ said Lord Vetinari severely.
Hughnon Ridcully made a misjudged attempted to lighten the mood. ‘Not twice at any rate, ahahah.' (TT) Vimes had once discussed the Ephebian idea of ‘democracy’ with Carrot and had been rather interested in the idea that everyone* had a vote until he found out that while he, Vimes, would have a vote, there was no way in the rules that
anyone could prevent Nobby Nobbs from having one as well. Vimes could see the flaw there straight away. *Apart from the women, children, slaves, idiots and people who weren’t really our kind of people (FE) 'You are in favour of the common people?’ said Dragon mildly.
‘The common people?’ said Vimes. ‘They’re nothing special. They’re no different from the rich and powerful except they’ve got no money or power. But the law should be there to balance things up a bit.' (FC) He’d tried to introduce Ephebian democracy to Lancre, giving the vote to everyone, or at least everyone “who be of good report and who be male and hath forty years and owneth a hosue worth more than three and a half goats a year,” because there’s no sense in being stupid about things and giving the vote to people who were poor or criminal or insane or female, who’d only use it irresponsibly. (LL)
'I like the idea of democracy. You have to have someone everyone distrusts,’said Brutha. ‘That way, everyone’s happy.' (SG)
'You can’t go around building a better world for people. Only people can build a better world. Otherwise it’s just a cage.' (WA)
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