Read this quotation from pericles’s funeral oration in ancient athens. it is true that we are called a democracy, because power is in the hands of the many and not the few . . everyone is equal before the law; when a citizen is in any way distinguished, he is chosen for public service, not as a matter of privilege, but as reward for his abilities. neither is poverty an obstacle; a man may benefit his country whatever his social class. –pericles’s funeral oration, 431 bce this quotation supports the idea that the ability to govern should be a privilege. few citizens have the skills for public service. women and men should be equal under the law. both the rich and the poor have the ability to serve.