Clemency alone makes us equal to the
Clemency alone makes us equal to the gods.
Distrust all in whom the impulse to
Distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful.
What restrains us from killing is partly
What restrains us from killing is partly fear of punishment, partly moral scruple, and partly what may be described as a sense of humor.
It is true you cannot eat freedom and
It is true you cannot eat freedom and you cannot power machinery with democracy. But then neither can political prisoners turn on the light in the cells of a dictatorship.
The idea that the sole aim of punishment
The idea that the sole aim of punishment is to prevent crime is obviously grounded upon the theory that crime can be prevented, which is almost as dubious as the notion that poverty can be prevented.
As we grow in wisdom, we pardon more
As we grow in wisdom, we pardon more freely.
Every instance of a man's suffering the
Every instance of a man's suffering the penalty of the law is an instance of the failure of that penalty in effecting its purpose, which is to deter.
You utter a vow, or forge a signature,
You utter a vow, or forge a signature, and you may find yourself bound for life to a monastery, a woman, or prison.
The virtue of justice consists in
The virtue of justice consists in moderation, as regulated by wisdom.
Oh who is that young sinner with the
Oh who is that young sinner with the handcuffs on his wrist? And what has he been after that they groan and shake their fists? And wherefore is he wearing such a conscience-stricken air? Oh they're taking him to prison for the colour of his hair.
Pardon is the virtue of victory.
Pardon is the virtue of victory.
It is the spirit and not the form of law
It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive.
A country is in a bad state, which is
A country is in a bad state, which is governed only by laws; because a thousand things occur for which laws cannot provide, and where authority ought to interpose.
A Sunday school is a prison in which
A Sunday school is a prison in which children do penance for the evil conscience of their parents.
There are only two places in the world
There are only two places in the world where time takes precedence over the job to be done. School and prison.
Definition, rationality, and structure
Definition, rationality, and structure are ways of seeing, but they become prisons when they blank out other ways of seeing.
The only difference between me and my
The only difference between me and my fellow actors is that I've spent more time in jail.
Reality becomes a prison to those who
Reality becomes a prison to those who can’t get out of it.
If you strike at, imprison, or kill us,
If you strike at, imprison, or kill us, out of our prisons or graves we will still evoke a spirit that will thwart you, and perhaps, raise a force that will destroy you! We defy you! Do your worst!
Probably the only place where a man can
Probably the only place where a man can feel really secure is in a maximum security prison, except for the imminent threat of release.
They were being driven to a prison,
They were being driven to a prison, through no fault of their own, in all probability for life. In comparison, how much easier it would be to walk to the gallows than to this tomb of living horrors!
Forgiveness, that noblest of all
Forgiveness, that noblest of all self-denial, is a virtue which he alone who can practise in himself can willingly believe in another.
It is safer that a bad man should not be
It is safer that a bad man should not be accused, than that he should be acquitted.
There is no greater punishment of
There is no greater punishment of wickedness that that it is dissatisfied with itself and its deeds.
The power of punishment is to silence,
The power of punishment is to silence, not to confute.
