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"One obvious palliative of the evils of democracy in its present form would be to encourage much more publicity and initiative on the part of civil servants. They ought to have the right, and, on occasion, the duty, to frame Bills in their own names, and set forth publicly the arguments in their favor."
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Explore more quotes by Bertrand Russell

"One should respect public opinion insofar as is necessary to avoid starvation and keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny."

"Ever since Plato most philosophers have considered it part of their business to produce 'proofs' of immortality and the existence of God. They have found fault with the proofs of their predecessors - Saint Thomas rejected Saint Anselm's proofs, and Kant rejected Descartes' - but they have supplied new ones of their own. In order to make their proofs seem valid, they have had to falsify logic, to make mathematics mystical, and to pretend that deepseated prejudices were heaven-sent intuitions."

"Boredom is... a vital problem for the moralist, since half the sins of mankind are caused by the fear of it."

"Many people when they fall in love look for a little haven of refuge from the world, where they can be sure of being admired when they are not admirable, and praised when they are not praiseworthy."

"A life without adventure is likely to be unsatisfying, but a life in which adventure is allowed to take whatever form it will is sure to be short."

"The importance of Man, which is the one indispensable dogma of the theologians, receives no support from a scientific view of the future of the solar system."

"We have two kinds of morality side by side: one which we preach but do not practice and the other which we practice but seldom preach."
Exlpore more Governance quotes

"Government has become ungovernable; that is, it cannot leave off governing. Law has become lawless; that is, it cannot see where laws should stop. The chief feature of our time is the meekness of the mob and the madness of the government."

"In our country, only what is talked about is seen as reform. If it isn't talked about, it isn't seen as reform. It shows our ignorance. My mantra is reform to transform, and I say in my government - Reform, Perform and Transform."

"An assembly is extra slow in taking actions."

"If a country complains that they don't have good leaders, those leaders are only as a result of the prevailing value system that every citizen of that country has been exposed to."

"Always remember: When government accepts responsibility for people, then people no longer take responsibility for themselves."

"Politics is so difficult, it's generally only people who aren't quite up to the task who feel convinced they are."

"Either cry for exchanging new currency notes for couple of days or crib for corruption for ages and generations with old one. Choice is yours."

"When some claim demarcation and "regulation, others fancy "deregulation, preferring foxes guarding the henhouse or chicken yards with free chickens and free foxes. Friend or foe, hen or fox, anyone can have a go. ['This far']"

"Good governance never depends upon laws, but upon the personal qualities of those who govern. The machinery of government is always subordinate to the will of those who administer that machinery. The most important element of government, therefore, is the method of choosing leaders."

"In reality, commissions rarely solve complicated problems. Therefore, the following question arises: what is worse " to establish a commission knowing it cannot solve a complicated problem, or to believe that the commission will truly solve such a problem?"
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