The principles of justice are chosen behind a veil of ignorance.

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

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

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...

Certainly it is wrong to be cruel to animals and the destruction of a whole species can be a great evil. The capacity for feelings of pleasure and pain and for the form of life...

Thus I assume that to each according to his threat advantage is not a conception of justice.

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.

Many of our most serious conflicts are conflicts within ourselves. Those who suppose their judgements are always consistent are unreflective or dogmatic.

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...

a fim de tratar as pessoas igualitariamente, a sociedade deve dar atenção àqueles com menos dotes inatos e aos oriundos de posições sociais menos favoráveis. A ideia é de reparar o desvio das contingências na...

We try to show that the well-ordered society of justice as fairness is indeed possible according to our nature and those requirements. This endeavor belongs to political philosophy as reconciliation; for seeing that the conditions...

The sense of justice is continuous with the love of mankind.

[E]ach person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with a similar liberty for others.