Cleisthenes

"The ostracism vote was imperfect, yet it was less perfect than any rule by a single man."

"A constitution written in stone will eventually crumble; write it in the hearts of citizens instead."

"The distribution of minor offices is as important as the distribution of major ones."

"Those who understand that they might be judged by lot are more likely to judge others fairly."

"Reform is not the work of a day or a man, but of generations working together."

"The tie-breaking vote is less important than ensuring no one group holds all ties."

"I sought to prove that government by the many was not weakness but wisdom."

"When a man knows he might lose power, he is more cautious in how he wields it."

"The institutions of democracy are stronger than any individual born within them."

"A city divided by old clan loyalties cannot stand united against external threats."

"The ballot cast in secret is a symbol of freedom, for no one can be punished for it."

"The ostracism I reformed was a tool to remove threats to the state, not to silence criticism."

"When power circulates through the population, no one becomes so elevated they forget their origins."

"The poor man given a voice will speak differently than when voiceless; listen to what he says."

"I believed Athens could be ruled by its citizens without need for a hereditary elite."

"The constitution must be a common house where all citizens feel equally at home."

"Tyrants fear the drawing of lots more than they fear armies, for it checks ambition itself."

"Reform requires patience; the seeds you plant will grow in gardens you may not see."

"A leader who cannot explain his reforms to ordinary citizens does not deserve their support."

"The mixture of classes in governance is not a weakness to be overcome, but a strength to be celebrated."

"I created a system where even a slave might eventually own land and have some voice in his own fate."

"The ostracism vote teaches us that even democracy must have safeguards against the people's passion."

"When you give people real power, they will use it more responsibly than you might expect."

"A man who truly understood democracy would know that his own exile might one day seem just."

"The reforms of Athens were not the gift of Cleisthenes, but the work of all Athenians together."

"To break the old power, you must first break the old ways of thinking about power itself."

"A city reformed is a city reborn; the old men may mourn, but the children will thrive."

"The institution outlasts the innovator; therefore, build institutions, not monuments."

"Those who claim democracy cannot work have never truly tried to make it work."

"I sought to make Athens a city where virtue could be recognized in any man, not just the well-born."