宪法最本质的内容是保障公民基本权利。为了保障公民基本权利, 才对国家权力实施控制, 才有所谓“限权政府”。在历史上, 宪法产生于保障公民基本权利的需要。宪法的发展和成熟意味着公民基本权利保障的完善, 而公民权利的保障质量是宪法发展程度的标志。在逻辑上, 公民基本权利的保障也是衡量一切宪法价值包括自由、效率、秩序的基本尺度。依宪治国, 进一步推进中国社会主义法治, 应将保障公民基本权利作为基本的出发点。

The most essential aspect of the constitution is to protect citizens' basic rights. To ensure citizens' basic rights, there is just a control of the state power and a so-called limited power government. Historically, the constitution was produced from the need of guaranteeing citizens' basic rights. Its development and maturity signifies an improvement of the guarantee of citizens' basic rights, and the qualitative and quantitative unity of the guarantee is a mark of the constitutional developmental level. Logically, the guarantee of citizens' basic rights is also a fundamental measure of all constitutional values including liberty, efficiency and order. When governing the state in accordance with the constitution and further promoting China's socialist rule by law, we should take the guarantee of citizens' basic rights as an essential starting point.