Law is merely the expression of the will
Law is merely the expression of the will of the strongest for the time being, and therefore laws have no fixity, but shift from generation to generation.
Our task must be to free ourselves from
Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
No written law has been more binding
No written law has been more binding than unwritten custom supported by popular opinion.
Liberty is rendered even more precious
Liberty is rendered even more precious by the recollection of servitude.
No man should be judge in his own case.
No man should be judge in his own case.
I submit that an individual who breaks a
I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.
One of the many lessons that one learns
One of the many lessons that one learns in prison is, that things are what they are and will be what they will be.
A man will be imprisoned in a room with
A man will be imprisoned in a room with a door that's unlocked and opens inwards, as long as it does not occur to him to pull rather than push.
The punishment can be remitted; the
The punishment can be remitted; the crime is everlasting.
Crimes generally punish themselves.
Crimes generally punish themselves.
The common argument that crime is caused
The common argument that crime is caused by poverty is a kind of slander on the poor.
It is hard, but it is excellent, to find
It is hard, but it is excellent, to find the right knowledge of when correction is necessary and when grace doth most avail.
Reality becomes a prison to those who
Reality becomes a prison to those who can’t get out of it.
The law does not pretend to punish
The law does not pretend to punish everything that is dishonest. That would seriously interfere with business.
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.
He who profits by a crime commits it.
He who profits by a crime commits it.
A sick person is a prisoner.
A sick person is a prisoner.
Nor cell, nor chain, nor dungeon speaks
Nor cell, nor chain, nor dungeon speaks to the murderer like the voice of solitude.
In a civilized society, all crimes are
In a civilized society, all crimes are likely to be sins, but most sins are not and ought not to be treated as crimes.
Do not lay on the multitude the blame
Do not lay on the multitude the blame that is due to a few.
They took away my money, my family, and
They took away my money, my family, and my security. Why couldn't they destroy my ideas? We will question them in court tomorrow as we trigger The Revolution of all revolutions!
Mere factual innocence is no reason not
Mere factual innocence is no reason not to carry out a death sentence properly reached.
The reformative effect of punishment is
The reformative effect of punishment is a belief that dies hard, chiefly I think, because it is so satisfying to our sadistic impulses.
We have our own system, ... and
We have our own system, ... and journalists in our system are not put in prison for embarrassing the government by revealing things the government might not wish to have revealed. The important thing is that our system, under which journalists can write without fear or favor, should continue.
By noiselessly going to a prison a
By noiselessly going to a prison a civil-resister ensures a calm atmosphere.
