I have been studying how I may compare
I have been studying how I may compare this prison where I live unto the world; Shut up in the prison of their own consciences.
Women now have choices. They can be
Women now have choices. They can be married, not married, have a job, not have a job, be married with children, unmarried with children. Men have the same choice we've always had: work, or prison.
As we grow in wisdom, we pardon more
As we grow in wisdom, we pardon more freely.
To be at peace in crime! Ah, who can
To be at peace in crime! Ah, who can thus flatter himself.
By noiselessly going to a prison a
By noiselessly going to a prison a civil-resister ensures a calm atmosphere.
The perfection of a thing consists in
The perfection of a thing consists in its essence; there are perfect criminals, as there are men of perfect probity.
And while God had work for Paul, he
And while God had work for Paul, he found him friends both in court and prison. Let persecutors send saints to prison, God can provide a keeper for their turn.
The refined punishments of the spiritual
The refined punishments of the spiritual mode are usually much more indecent and dangerous than a good smack.
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.
We judge ourselves by what we feel
We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.
Justice is justice though it's always
Justice is justice though it's always delayed and finally done only by mistake.
Laws grind the poor, and rich men rule
Laws grind the poor, and rich men rule the law.
The object of punishment is prevention
The object of punishment is prevention from evil; it never can be made impulsive to good.
No matter how you seem to fatten on a
No matter how you seem to fatten on a crime, that can never be good for the bee which is bad for the hive.
The punishment can be remitted; the
The punishment can be remitted; the crime is everlasting.
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.
Crimes lead one into another; they who
Crimes lead one into another; they who are capable of being forgers are capable of being incendiaries.
He who profits by a crime commits it.
He who profits by a crime commits it.
No written law has been more binding
No written law has been more binding than unwritten custom supported by popular opinion.
Those magistrates who can prevent crime,
Those magistrates who can prevent crime, and do not, in effect encourage it.
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.
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.
He who opens a school door, closes a
He who opens a school door, closes a prison.
The law does not pretend to punish
The law does not pretend to punish everything that is dishonest. That would seriously interfere with business.
In prisons, those things withheld from
In prisons, those things withheld from and denied to the prisoner become precisely what he wants most of all.
