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We believe democracy cannot be imposed from outside in any society. Democracy is the expression of a sovereign people.

How do we get democracy at the international level? That's our problem. and it's essentially the same problem people faced in the 18th Century when they tried to get democracy nationally. Now we need it internationally.

But I think we need to remember that democracy everywhere is by its nature incomplete, a work in progress.

Democracy is an experimental system. I like it when states try out new ideas. I think we ought to expand, not contract, our federalist system.

Democracy is still a radical idea in a world where we often confuse images with realities, words with actions.

We should never take democracy for granted. Democracy can emerge and develop, but it can also decay.

People in so many countries look up to the United States as a model of democracy, but I doubt if that can continue. It leaves me with a great sense of loss.

The Americans' position is clear: we promote democracy.

We have, essentially, a worthless democracy.

Democracy is not something that happens, you know, just at election time, and it's not something that happens just with one event. It's an ongoing building process. But it also ought to be a part of our culture, a part of our lives.