No written law has been more binding
No written law has been more binding than unwritten custom supported by popular opinion.
Wherever any one is against his will,
Wherever any one is against his will, that is to him a prison.
Laws grind the poor, and rich men rule
Laws grind the poor, and rich men rule the law.
It is impossible to go through life
It is impossible to go through life without trust: That is to be imprisoned in the worst cell of all, oneself.
Whatever is worthy to be loved for
Whatever is worthy to be loved for anything is worthy of preservation. A wise and dispassionate legislator, if any such should ever arise among men, will not condemn to death him who has done or is likely to do more service than injury to society. Blocks and gibbets are the nearest objects with legislators, and their business is never with hopes or with virtues.
Punishment, that is the justice for the
Punishment, that is the justice for the unjust.
Adversities such as being homeless and
Adversities such as being homeless and going to prison has made many people stronger.
As we grow in wisdom, we pardon more
As we grow in wisdom, we pardon more freely.
When the Nazis came for the communists,
When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a communist. When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat. When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak out; I was not a trade unionist. When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out.
The punishment can be remitted; the
The punishment can be remitted; the crime is everlasting.
It is the spirit and not the form of law
It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive.
It isn't true that convicts live like
It isn't true that convicts live like animals: animals have more room to move around.
There is no greater punishment of
There is no greater punishment of wickedness that that it is dissatisfied with itself and its deeds.
Liberty is rendered even more precious
Liberty is rendered even more precious by the recollection of servitude.
Assassination is the extreme form of
Assassination is the extreme form of censorship.
How dreadful it is when the right judge
How dreadful it is when the right judge judges wrong.
I wrote a million words in the first
I wrote a million words in the first year, and I could never have done that outside of prison.
Body is a home, a prison and a grave.
Body is a home, a prison and a grave.
Crime is a logical extension of the sort
Crime is a logical extension of the sort of behavior that often [is] considered perfectly respectable in legitimate business.
If we were brought to trial for the
If we were brought to trial for the crimes we have committed against ourselves, few would escape the gallows.
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.
Well, I don't think prisons are the
Well, I don't think prisons are the answer to everything, obviously.
Vices are not crimes.
Vices are not crimes.
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.
On average, drug prisoners spend more
On average, drug prisoners spend more time in federal prison than rapists, who often get out on early release because of the overcrowding in prison caused by the Drug War.
