--- title: "7 Comprehensive Quotes By John Rawls" description: "7 Comprehensive quotes by John Rawls. Plus more from John Rawls and more Comprehensive sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a48/john-rawls-7786_agree_any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or_2039.jpg" --- > [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a48/john-rawls-7786_agree_any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or_2039.jpg) > [Citizens can have their own grounding in their comprehensive doctrines, whatever they happen to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/citizens-can-have-their-own-grounding-in-their-comprehensive/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/john-rawls-7786_citizens_citizens-can-have-their-own-grounding-in_737727.jpg) > [A comprehensive doctrine, either religious or secular, aspires to cover all of life. I mean, if it's a religious doctrine, it talks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/a-comprehensive-doctrine-either-religious-or-secular-aspires-to-cover/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba2/john-rawls-7786_aim_a-comprehensive-doctrine-either-religiou_965145.jpg) > [What's important is that people give the kinds of reasons that can be understood and appraised apart from their particular comprehensive doctrines:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/what-s-important-is-that-people-give-the-kinds-of-reasons-that-can-be/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/john-rawls-7786_afterlife_what-s-important-is-that-people-give-the_1284242.jpg) > [Now the good of political life is a great political good. It is not a secular good specified by a comprehensive doctrine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/now-the-good-of-political-life-is-a-great-political-good-it-is-not-a/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1b/john-rawls-7786_action_now-the-good-of-political-life-is-a-grea_1677790.jpg) > [There are two kinds of comprehensive doctrines, religious and secular. Those of religious faith will say I give a veiled argument for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/there-are-two-kinds-of-comprehensive-doctrines-religious-and-secular/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/john-rawls-7786_argument_there-are-two-kinds-of-comprehensive-doc_2539195.jpg) > [You might say that, if citizens are acting for the right reasons in a constitutional regime, then regardless of their comprehensive doctrines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/you-might-say-that-if-citizens-are-acting-for-the-right-reasons-in-a/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/243/john-rawls-7786_acting_you-might-say-that-if-citizens-are-actin_3006952.jpg) ## Other authors on Comprehensive ## More by John Rawls > [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [First of all, principles should be general. That is, it must be possible to formulate them without use of what would be intuitively recognized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/first-of-all-principles-should-be-general-that-is-it-must-be-possible/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [Intuitionism is not constructive, perfectionism is unacceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/intuitionism-is-not-constructive-perfectionism-is-unacceptable/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [A political conception just applies to the basic structure of a society, its institutions, constitutional essentials, matters of basic justice and property, and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/a-political-conception-just-applies-to-the-basic-structure-of-a/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [If you compare the United States with Europe, my view is that what happened in Europe is that the church became deeply distrusted by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/if-you-compare-the-united-states-with-europe-my-view-is-that-what/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [Political philosophy is realistically utopian when it extends what are ordinarily thought to be the limits of practicable political possibility and, in so doing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/political-philosophy-is-realistically-utopian-when-it-extends-what/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [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.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/the-intolerant-can-be-viewed-as-free-riders-as-persons-who-seek-the/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [Of course, we know that not everyone agrees with assisted suicide, but people might agree that one has the right to it, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/of-course-we-know-that-not-everyone-agrees-with-assisted-suicide-but/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [When the basic structure of society is publicly known to satisfy its principles for an extended period of time, those subject to these arrangements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/when-the-basic-structure-of-society-is-publicly-known-to-satisfy-its/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [“Luther and Calvin were as dogmatic and intolerant as the Church had been. For those who had to decide whether to become Protestant or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/luther-and-calvin-were-as-dogmatic-and-intolerant-as-the-church-had/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [We may suppose that everyone has in himself the whole form of a moral conception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/we-may-suppose-that-everyone-has-in-himself-the-whole-form-of-a-moral/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [Citizens can have their own grounding in their comprehensive doctrines, whatever they happen to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/citizens-can-have-their-own-grounding-in-their-comprehensive/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [There is a divergence between private and social accounting that the market fails to register. One essential task of law and government is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/there-is-a-divergence-between-private-and-social-accounting-that-the/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [Many of our most serious conflicts are conflicts within ourselves. Those who suppose their judgements are always consistent are unreflective or dogmatic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/many-of-our-most-serious-conflicts-are-conflicts-within-ourselves/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [The idea of public reason isn't about the right answers to all these questions, but about the kinds of reasons that they ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/the-idea-of-public-reason-isn-t-about-the-right-answers-to-all-these/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comprehensive/john-rawls/#itemlist", "name": "7 Comprehensive Quotes By John Rawls", "numberOfItems": 7, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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. 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It is not a secular good specified by a comprehensive doctrine like those of Kant or Mill. You could characterize this political good as the good of free and equal citizens recognizing the duty of civility to one another: the duty to give citizens public reasons for one's political actions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Rawls" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/now-the-good-of-political-life-is-a-great-political-good-it-is-not-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1b/john-rawls-7786_action_now-the-good-of-political-life-is-a-grea_1677790.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1b/john-rawls-7786_action_now-the-good-of-political-life-is-a-grea_1677790.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1b/john-rawls-7786_action_now-the-good-of-political-life-is-a-grea_1677790.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Now the good of political life is a great political good. 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That's how we can understand each other and cooperate.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Rawls" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/there-are-two-kinds-of-comprehensive-doctrines-religious-and-secular/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/john-rawls-7786_argument_there-are-two-kinds-of-comprehensive-doc_2539195.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/john-rawls-7786_argument_there-are-two-kinds-of-comprehensive-doc_2539195.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/john-rawls-7786_argument_there-are-two-kinds-of-comprehensive-doc_2539195.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are two kinds of comprehensive doctrines, religious and secular. 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