If it's near dinner-time, the foreman
If it's near dinner-time, the foreman takes out his watch when the jury has retired, and says: "Dear me, gentlemen, ten minutes to five, I declare! I dine at five, gentlemen." "So do I," says everybody else, except two men who ought to have dined at three and seem more than half disposed to stand out in consequence. The foreman smiles, and puts up his watch:--"Well, gentlemen, what do we say, plaintiff or defendant, gentlemen?
The punishment can be remitted; the
The punishment can be remitted; the crime is everlasting.
Liberty is rendered even more precious
Liberty is rendered even more precious by the recollection of servitude.
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.
To make punishments efficacious, two
To make punishments efficacious, two things are necessary. They must never be disproportioned to the offence, and they must be certain.
I was put into jail as I was going to
I was put into jail as I was going to the shoemaker's to get a shoe which was mended. When I was let out the next morning, I proceeded to finish my errand, and, having put on my mended shoe, joined a huckleberry party, who were impatient to put themselves under my conduct; and in half an hour -- for the horse was soon tackled -- was in the midst of a huckleberry field, on one of our highest hills, two miles off, and then the State was nowhere to be seen.
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.
Hard cases, it is said, make bad law.
Hard cases, it is said, make bad law.
No obligation to justice does force a
No obligation to justice does force a man to be cruel, or to use the sharpest sentence.
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.
The English laws punish vice; the
The English laws punish vice; the Chinese laws do more, they reward virtue.
The mellow sweetness of pumpkin pie off
The mellow sweetness of pumpkin pie off a prison spoon is something you will never forget.
One crime has to be concealed by
One crime has to be concealed by another.
Overlook our deeds, since you know that
Overlook our deeds, since you know that crime was absent from our inclination.
I asked a man in prison once how he
I asked a man in prison once how he happened to be there and he said he had stolen a pair of shoes. I told him if he had stolen a railroad he would be a United States Senator.
Wherever any one is against his will,
Wherever any one is against his will, that is to him a prison.
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.
To try to raise a son from inside the
To try to raise a son from inside the prison walls is a very difficult thing. But I want to say to the world my son at 16 was the one who tried the most to get me out of prison.
~Jim Bakker
Women have worked hard; starved in
Women have worked hard; starved in prison; given of their time and lives that we might sit in the House of Commons and take part in the legislating of this country.
Reality becomes a prison to those who
Reality becomes a prison to those who can’t get out of it.
I have never been contained except I
I have never been contained except I made the prison.
The virtue of justice consists in
The virtue of justice consists in moderation, as regulated by wisdom.
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.
One should respect public opinion
One should respect public opinion insofar as is necessary to avoid starvation and keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny.
The law does not pretend to punish
The law does not pretend to punish everything that is dishonest. That would seriously interfere with business.
