En sekulär stat

Democratic thought's starting point is of course the idea of the sovereignity of the people. So long as power finds its legitimacy in tradition, right of conquest, or the will of God, democracy is unthinkable; democracy becomes possible only when the holders of power are regarded as representatives of the people. They are responsible for implementing the decisions of the people, and the people alone hold sovereignity.

- Alain Tourraine, What is Democracy?