Democracy in Retrograde Quotes

“There are so many ways to be engaged in civic life: advocating for policy changes, joining a sports league, organizing a meal train for a sick neighbor, serving on a school board, or even trying to dismantle the entire system itself.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“Hope is a practice that requires us to continuously choose to look within ourselves and our communities for answers, while also creating boundaries that permit us to have unspoiled moments and spaces for joy. We can reverse a hopelessness spiral through the compounding and life-affirming effects of empathy, togetherness, and community.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“It’s our right and privilege to keep fighting within this system to make life better, safer, and healthier for all Americans. With robust engagement and a more active electorate, we’re certain that it’s possible to bring the changes we want from within our democracy—flawed as it is—and that there’s no better or more realistic option for Americans than to engage at scale and push for its fullest, most representative potential.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“It may seem that only those already in power are the ones with the ability to make change, but democracy is a participation sport, and if we all take on one small part, we can make big changes.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“For democracy to function, we need more people who care about their communities to step up and help shepherd our country into the future. Preferably one that doesn't resemble The Handmaid's Tale or The Day After Tomorrow.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“You cannot take your freedoms for granted. Just like generations who have come before you, you have to do your part to preserve and protect those freedoms.... You need to be preparing yourself to add your voice to our national conversation. You need to prepare yourself to be informed and engaged as a citizen, to serve and to lead, to stand up for our proud American values and to honor them in your daily lives.' - Michelle Obama”
― Emily Amick, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“We believe that civic engagement is a form of self-care.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“Build Authentic Bonds. Prioritize relationship building, not networking. It's about whom you can call to show up when there's something important going on. Shared values and genuine friendships create stronger alliances and a more fulfilling life, and in our increasingly lonely society, the act of friendship could arguably be considered political. We promise, it's worth tolerating the group chat notifications. Relationships are also a key to effective lobbying, as our entire civic infrastructure (government, courts, etc.) is made up of people. If you care about speed bumps in your town, get to know the mayor's staffer who covers road issues. Building and leveraging connections is one of the most underrated tools we have.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“When it comes to making self-soothing choices about how to engage, this means going to speaking events where you are empowered to make change, where you are inspired by the group and activities rather than drained. Finding comfortable spaces with like-minded people is a way to feel less alone in your world-views and supported by community.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“Within the civic space, we tend to see Creators in three roles: creating messages, creating art, and educating others.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“We so often think about it as just talking, but what Jen realized through her experiences is that conversations are how you build political power--"I just have this one conversation and open someone's eyes to a different perspective. And I'm not sure they would have been open to the conversation if it hadn't been me. And that's pretty cool, right? I mean, that's really empowering."

And the thing about all those conversations is, they add up to a big win, and Jen was part of protecting reproductive healthcare in her state.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“Don't tell me where your priorities are. Show me where you spend your money and I'll tell you what they are." -James W. Frick”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“When has sounding like a completely ignorant moron ever stopped our elected officials? Never, that's when.

You're going to make mistakes, and even if you don't, we promise you will still feel stupid at one point or another. It'll pass, and no one was paying that much attention anyway. Move forward with a sprinkle of the delusion that your least favorite politician would proudly display.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“As community bonds weaken, so does our engagement with democracy. In today's fragmented, increasingly digital existence, our access to shared community wisdom and shared truths is frayed, replaced with information from isolated silos rooted in dubious and unverified claims. The transition from face-to-face gatherings to online interactions has changed the way we perceive people from other groups, and the things people will reply to an online handle that they would never dare say in real life.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“Engaging with toxic commentary, even to refute it, can help amplify it, so try to save your energy for conversations and actions that might make a difference. Americans agree over more than we assume, and if we work to build coalitions around our commonalities, there is so much potential for change and, dare we say, even reasons to be optimistic.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“Technology enables us to create the illusion of community and camaraderie without the challenges of sitting with other human beings and their messy (but beautiful) nuances. We lose the instinct to perceive those with whom we might disagree as merely holding a different (but valid) perspective, or as fellow flawed humans who inevitably hold some wrong opinions, as opposed to irredeemably evil monsters who are ruining America.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“In today's fragmented, increasingly digital existence, our access to shared community wisdom and shared truths is frayed, replaced with information from isolated silos rooted in dubious and unverified claims.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“A yearning to live out that nostalgic fantasy of Stars Hollow–style neighborliness, but without the structural inequalities and regressive ideologies that others might hope to revisit when they romanticize those communities of yore (e.g.: tradwives).”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“Americans are woefully disengaged in the politics of our own towns, cities, schools, and courts. And our policies and systems continue to be shaped by those who are most engaged, the loudest, and the already-powerful.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“It's no coincidence that the eras most frequently fetishized by extremist politicians are the ones associated with disenfranchisement and lack of civil rights.”
― Emily Amick, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“There's a small handful of very wealthy and powerful people who actively strategize and spend a lot of money (numbers with multiple commas) to make sure that you ignore politics and neglect your privileges that come with being an American citizen.”
― Emily Amick, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“Values provide a meeting point for you and others who share them. They influence how we interact with our family, friends, and neighbors; the careers we pursue; how we spend our free time; and how we save and spend money, and on what.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“The purpose of talking about politics is to come together and find solutions.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“the vibes are bad and polarized, as you can see in the For Facts’ Sake box on the previous page, the numbers are not.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“use, we care about not getting shot at the grocery store. Our present rhetorical environment is pushing people into apathy and disengagement, further cementing policies that most of us don’t support.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“The single most common finding from a half century’s research on the correlates of life satisfaction, not only in the United States but around the world, is that happiness is best predicted by the breadth and depth of one’s social connections.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“cannot take your freedoms for granted. Just like generations who have come before you, you have to do your part to preserve and protect those freedoms…. You need to be preparing yourself to add your voice to our national conversation. You need to prepare yourself to be informed and engaged as a citizen, to serve and to lead, to stand up for our proud American values and to honor them in your daily lives.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives

“Civics” doesn’t just need a rebrand, it needs whatever Julie Andrews did to make Anne Hathaway a suitable Princess of Genovia. That is: reveal the beauty that was already there and recast her in the light she should’ve been in all along.”
― Sami Sage, Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives