Democracy has been described as four wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch (1990)

[Garson O'Toole]

In 2007 and 2008 ADS-L members discussed a quote that is misattributed
to Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, H. L. Mencken, and Vladimir Lenin.
Barry Popik dealt with the quote at the Room Eight website in 2007.
Here is a version from a recent book:

On the door of my office is a quotation attributed to Benjamin
Franklin: "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have
for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."

Moyers on Democracy by Bill Moyers, page 314, Doubleday, New York, 2009.

The Usenet Google Archive has some examples from 1991 that were
mentioned on ADS-L and at Barry Popik's website. Below is a citation
from 1990. The last sentence is absent, and the quote mentions four
wolves instead of two. Perhaps two of the wolves were eaten.

Democracy has been described as four wolves and a lamb voting on what
to have for lunch.

"'Mainstream Values' Vs. Campus Pluralism - Campus Correspondence -
The Privileged Classes Must Yield in the Name of Equality" by Charles
Flatt and Sheila, Los Angeles Times, November 25, 1990.

http://articles.latimes.com/1990-11-25/opinion/op-7188_1_american-values

Sometimes the attribution goes to Jefferson, and he actually did talk
about "wolves over sheep" but with a different perspective. Below are
two examples from the E-Text Archive at the University of Virginia. In
the second quote Jefferson is criticizing "governments of force" and
not democracies.

"Courts love the people always, as wolves do the sheep." -- Thomas
Jefferson to John Jay, 1789. ME 7:264

"Societies exist under three forms, sufficiently distinguishable. 1.
Without government, as among our Indians. 2. Under governments,
wherein the will of everyone has a just influence; as is the case in
England, in a slight degree, and in our States, in a great one. 3.
Under governments of force; as is the case in all other monarchies,
and in most of the other republics. To have an idea of the curse of
existence under these last, they must be seen. It is a government of
wolves over sheep. -- Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1787. ME 6:64

http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeff0400.htm

Garson O'Toole

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