Human nature turns out to be more complicated than the idea that people will get along if only the rules are clear enough. Uncertainty, the ultimate evil that modern law seeks to eradicate, generally fosters cooperation, not the opposite. — Philip K. Howard Copy Share Image
“Plato argued that good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will always find a way around law. By pretending that procedure will get rid of corruption, we have succeeded only in humiliating honest people and provided a cover of darkness and complexity for the bad people. There is a scandal here, but… — Philip K. Howard Copy Share
“Uniformity in the common law, consisting of broad principles like the "reasonable person" standard, generally permits adjustment for the circumstances. This type of uniform… — Philip K. Howard Copy Share Image
We should stop looking to law to provide the final answer… Law cannot save us from ourselves… We have to go out and try… — Philip K. Howard Copy Share Image
Human nature turns out to be more complicated than the idea that people will get along if only the rules are clear enough. Uncertainty,… — Philip K. Howard Copy Share Image
“Overthrow the bureaucracy, and return to a system based on human responsibility.” — Philip K. Howard Copy Share Image
“By exiling human judgment in the last few decades, modern law changed role from useful tool to brainless tyrant. This legal regime will never be up to the job, any more than the Soviet system of central planning was, because ti can't think. The comedy of law's sterile logic--large POISON signs warning against common sand, spending twenty-two years on pesticide… — Philip K. Howard Copy Share
“In 2010, 70 percent of federal tax revenue was consumed by three entitlement programs (Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security)” — Philip K. Howard Copy Share Image
Coercion by government, the main fear of our founding fathers, is now its most common attribute. — Philip K. Howard Copy Share Image
“We must abandon our belief that human choice denigrates the Rule of Law.” — Philip K. Howard Copy Share Image
We've been trained to squint into a legal microscope, hoping that we can judge any dispute against the standard of a perfect society where… — Philip K. Howard Copy Share Image
Rights are not the language of democracy. Compromise is what democracy is about. Rights are the language of freedom, and are absolute because their… — Philip K. Howard Copy Share Image
