Bokelskere.no

Democracies do have written rules (constitutions) and referees (the courts). But these work best, and survive longest, in countries where written constitutions are reinforced by their own unwritten rules of the game. These rules or norms serve as the soft guard-rails of democracy, preventing day-to-day political competition from devolving into no-holds-barred conflict.

. . . two norms stand out as fundamental to a functioning democracy: mutual toleration and institutional forbearance. [ . . . ] institutional forbearance can be thought of as avoiding actions that, while respecting the letter of the law, obviously violate its spirit. (side 102 og 106).