Democracy is a method of finding proximate solutions for insoluble problems.

Niebuhr’s aphorism reflects his “Christian realist” view that many public questions—justice vs. order, liberty vs. equality, national interest vs. moral duty—do not admit of final, perfectly rational solutions. Human finitude, mixed motives, and the persistence of power make politics a realm of compromise rather than purity. Democracy, on this reading, is valuable less because it guarantees truth or virtue than because it institutionalizes humility: it disperses power, forces negotiation among rival interests, and allows revision when policies fail. “Proximate solutions” suggests workable, temporary settlements that reduce harm and approximate justice without claiming to end conflict or eradicate sin.