Rawls, John

"A just political order provides all citizens with real opportunities to develop their talents."

"The separation of church and state protects both religious freedom and political stability."

"Justice requires that all citizens have adequate material resources to participate effectively in society."

"The concept of a fair distribution depends on the purpose of the distribution scheme."

"Public reason limits the grounds on which political power can be legitimately exercised."

"Citizens have a duty to engage in good faith dialogue about fundamental questions of justice."

"A liberal conception of justice respects moral diversity while maintaining political stability."

"The basic structure is the primary subject of justice, not individual transactions."

"Rawls believed that justice could be presented as a form of fairness acceptable to all reasonable citizens."

"The basic structure of society shapes the life prospects of individuals from the start."

"Fair equality of opportunity requires more than formal non-discrimination; it demands substantive access to positions of advantage."

"A well-ordered society is one where citizens accept and know that others accept the same principles of justice."

"The original position is a device of representation that models the constraints we place on principles of justice."

"We should think of justice as the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought."

"Self-respect is perhaps the primary good that individuals pursue within a just social framework."

"The difference principle permits inequalities only when they benefit the least advantaged members of society."

"Public reason requires that fundamental political decisions be justifiable to all citizens as free and equal persons."

"A conception of justice must specify how the basic rights and liberties are to be distributed among citizens."

"The veil of ignorance ensures that principles of justice are chosen impartially, without prior knowledge of one's position."

"Persons should be free to pursue their own conception of the good life within the limits of justice."

"Justice as fairness treats all citizens as moral equals in the design of basic social institutions."

"A just society protects the fundamental interests that reasonable citizens have in maintaining their status as free and equal persons."

"The basic liberties can be restricted only when necessary to protect the basic liberties themselves."

"Democratic citizenship requires that people develop the capacity to justify their political views to fellow citizens."

"The right is prior to the good; justice cannot be sacrificed for efficiency or aggregate welfare."

"Stability in a just society depends on a widespread acceptance of the same principles of justice by the next generation."

"Reasonable persons may disagree about comprehensive doctrines while accepting an overlapping consensus on political justice."

"The parties in the original position would choose two principles: equal liberty and fair equality of opportunity."

"Political power in a democracy must be exercised in accordance with a constitution that all citizens might reasonably endorse."

"Justice requires that institutions be arranged to benefit the least advantaged, not merely the average citizen."