No one deserves his greater natural capacity nor merits a more favorable starting place in society. John Rawls More Quotes by John Rawls More Quotes From John Rawls A just society is a society that if you knew everything about it, you'd be willing to enter it in a random place. John Rawls willingifs The fairest rules are those to which everyone would agree if they did not know how much power they would have. John Rawls agreeknow-howknows The natural distribution is neither just nor unjust; nor is it unjust that persons are born into society at some particular position. These are simply natural facts. What is just and unjust is the way that institutions deal with these facts. John Rawls unjustfactsway The bad man desires arbitrary power. What moves the evil man is the love of injustice. John Rawls evilmenmoving An injustice is tolerable only when it is necessary to avoid an even greater injustice. John Rawls injusticemoralityreligion In all sectors of society there should be roughly equal prospects of culture and achievement for everyone similarly motivated and endowed. The expectations of those with the same abilities and aspirations should not be affected by their social class. John Rawls achievementexpectationsclass [E]ach person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with a similar liberty for others. John Rawls equallibertypersons The principles of justice are chosen behind a veil of ignorance. John Rawls ignoranceprinciplesjustice Justice as fairness provides what we want. John Rawls fairnesswantjustice The naturally advantaged are not to gain merely because they are more gifted, but only to cover the costs of training and education and for using their endowments in ways that help the less fortunate as well. John Rawls trainingcostway Liberal constitutional democracy is supposed to ensure that each citizen is free and equal and protected by basic rights and liberties. John Rawls democracylibertyrights Justice is happiness according to virtue. John Rawls virtuejustice Justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought. A theory however elegant and economical must be rejected or revised if it is untrue; likewise laws and institutions no matter how efficient and well-arranged must be reformed or abolished if they are unjust. John Rawls unjustlawjustice A society regulated by a public sense of justice is inherently stable. John Rawls stablejustice Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this should also present what they believe are public reasons for their argument. So their opinion is no longer just that of one particular party, but an opinion that all members of a society might reasonably agree to, not necessarily that they would agree to. What's important is that people give the kinds of reasons that can be understood and appraised apart from their particular comprehensive doctrines. John Rawls partyreligiousbelieve The sense of justice is continuous with the love of mankind. John Rawls philanthropymankindjustice Ideally citizens are to think of themselves as if they were legislators and ask themselves what statutes, supported by what reasons satisfying the criterion of reciprocity, they would think is most reasonable to enact. John Rawls citizensreasonthinking The intolerant can be viewed as free-riders, as persons who seek the advantages of just institutions while not doing their share to uphold them. John Rawls institutionsadvantageshare I have tried to set forth a theory that enables us to understand and to assess these feelings about the primacy of justice. Justice as fairness is the outcome: it articulates these opinions and supports their general tendency. John Rawls supportjusticefeelings It is of first importance that the military be subordinate to civilian government John Rawls governmentmilitaryfirsts
