John Rawls

"Stability for the right reasons means society remains stable because its members endorse its principles of justice."

"The worth of liberty depends on citizens' capacity to pursue their conception of the good life."

"Justice requires that social arrangements benefit all members, not merely a privileged few."

"Perfectionism—the view that the state should promote particular conceptions of excellence—is incompatible with justice as fairness."

"Equal respect means recognizing that each person's interests count equally in the basic structure of society."

"The lexical priority of liberty means basic freedoms cannot be sacrificed for economic or social gains."

"Reasonable disagreement about conceptions of the good is compatible with agreement on principles of justice."

"Citizens should respect each other as moral equals with the capacity to develop a sense of justice."

"The natural duty of justice requires that we support and comply with fair institutions."

"A constitution that protects basic liberties is essential to any just political system."

"The principles of justice are general, universal in application, and non-arbitrary."

"Market mechanisms can serve justice if they operate within a just institutional framework."

"Distributive justice is fundamentally about fair institutions, not individual acts of distribution."

"Citizens in a democracy must be able to see themselves as authors of its laws."

"Intergenerational justice requires that each generation preserve the conditions enabling future generations to enjoy fair equality of opportunity."

"The principles of justice protect citizens from arbitrary exercises of political power."

"A well-ordered society achieves stability when its members recognize and endorse its principles of justice."

"The veil of ignorance eliminates knowledge that would bias choices toward one's own advantage."

"Public political culture provides the language for citizens to justify their claims to one another."

"Just institutions provide the framework within which individuals can pursue their personal projects and relationships."

"Reciprocity is a principle of justice requiring that citizens benefit equally from cooperative social arrangements."