Ivan Krastev quotes

Democracy is the only game in town. The problem is [when] people start to believe that it is not a game worth playing.
-- Ivan Krastev

#Believe #Games #People

Democracy has always been in crisis: democracy is all about practicing the art of bearable dissatisfaction. In democratic societies, people often complain about their leaders and their institutions. The gap between the ideal democracy and the existing one cannot be bridged.
-- Ivan Krastev

#Art #People #Leader

As a rule, governments monitor people.
-- Ivan Krastev

#Government #People

Bulgaria has been deindustrialized by interest groups who extracted state assets like oil states extract the oil in their ground.
-- Ivan Krastev

#Oil #Groups #Assets

Authoritarianism is not pretending anymore to be a real alternative to democracy, but we can see many more authoritarian practices and styles basically being smuggled into democratic governments.
-- Ivan Krastev

#Real #Government #Practice

[It's] difficult to engage people in politics when they believe that what really matters is where they personally stand.
-- Ivan Krastev

#Motivation #Believe #Inspiration

Before, revolutions used to have ideological names. They could be communist, they could be liberal, they could be fascist or Islamic. Now, the revolutions are called under the medium which is most used. You have Facebook revolutions, Twitter revolutions. The content doesn't matter anymore - the problem is the media.
-- Ivan Krastev

#Islamic #Media #Names

Transparency is not about restoring trust in institutions. Transparency is the politics of managing mistrust.
-- Ivan Krastev

#Institutions #Transparency #Mistrust

The Church of TED is very optimistic. Bulgarians are some of the most pessimistic in the world. There are the Happy, the Unhappy and the Bulgarians.
-- Ivan Krastev

#Optimistic #Unhappy #Church

I still secretly believe that afternoons are the time for the test card and you shouldn't watch television when the sun is out.

I used to believe in forever, but forever's too good to be true

I believe in instinct, not reason. When reason is right, nine times out of ten it is impotent, and when it prevails, nine times out of ten it is wrong.

Psychoanalysts believe that the only "normal" people are those who cause not trouble to either themselves or anyone else.

I was a narrative historian, believing more and more as I matured that the first function of the historian was to answer the child's question, "What happened next?

Rather than making money I believe in making people happy, all other things are secondary. Money isn't important, creative satisfaction is

The thing you realize as you get older and you play, that you don't really understand when you're a backup the first few offseasons, how important that mental rest is. It's a grind physically during the season, dealing with the hits and the physical pain that goes with playing in this game. But mentally it's probably more taxing, so you need that ability to find that escape.

This is my last Commonwealth Games. Five CWG and nine medals, it is enough for me.

The World Series is played in my doubtless too-nostalgic imagination in some kind of autumn afternoon light, and seeing it exclusively in the bitter chill of midnight breaks the spell of even the best of games.

I think Lady Gaga is great and is changing pop music and bringing back a certain rock 'n' roll spirit, swagger to the game.