 Ross holds that legal rules, such as statutory provisions, are directives. He explains that such rules are not meant to represent states of affairs, but to influence behavior. Simply put, if a legal rule is laid down stating that certain behavior “shall be punished” or “gives rise to liability,” this is not done to describe what courts would do anyway, but to direct the behavior of courts (and, indirectly at least, the behavior of private individuals) (1959, pp. 8–9).