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Political philosophy seems often to reside at a distance from the world. Principles are one thing, politics another, and even our best efforts to live up to our ideals seldom fully succeed.

— Michael Sandel Democracy's Discontent (1996)

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More quotes by Michael Sandel

Unlike the liberty of the early republic, the modern version permits — in fact even requires — concentrated power.

To put the point another way, the republican sees liberty as internally connected to self-government and the civic virtues that sustain it.

Democracy's Discontent (1996)

But if political philosophy is unrealizable in one sense, it is unavoidable in another.

Democracy's Discontent (1996)

Whether you're a libertarian liberal or a more egalitarian liberal, the idea is that justice means being non-judgmental with respect to the preferences people bring to public life.

The idea that freedom consists in our capacity to choose our ends finds prominent expression in our politics and law. Its province is not limited to those known as liberals rather than conservatives in American politics; it can be found across the political spectrum.

Democracy's Discontent (1996)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Michael Sandel (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.