The circumstances of justice may be described as the normal conditions under which human cooperation is both possible and necessary.

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.

An injustice is tolerable only when it is necessary to avoid an even greater injustice.

In constant pursuit of money to finance campaigns, the political system is simply unable to function. Its deliberative powers are paralyzed.

The bad man desires arbitrary power. What moves the evil man is the love of injustice.

Intuitionism is not constructive, perfectionism is unacceptable.

The strength of the claims of formal justice, of obedience to system, clearly depend upon the substantive justice of institutions and the possibilities of their reform.