It was only when I lay there on the
It was only when I lay there on the rotting prison straw that I sensed within myself the first stirrings of good. Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not between states nor between social classes nor between political parties, but right through every human heart, through all human hearts. And that is why I turn back to the years of my imprisonment and say, sometimes to the astonishment of those about me, bless you, prison, for having been a part of my life.
The power of punishment is to silence,
The power of punishment is to silence, not to confute.
The degree of civilization in a society
The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.
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.
Man is condemned to be free.
Man is condemned to be free.
Wherever any one is against his will,
Wherever any one is against his will, that is to him a prison.
Taught from infancy that beauty is
Taught from infancy that beauty is woman's sceptre, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison.
Adversities such as being homeless and
Adversities such as being homeless and going to prison has made many people stronger.
I never told a victim story about my
I never told a victim story about my imprisonment. Instead, I told a transformation story - about how prison changed my outlook, about how I saw that communication, truth, and trust are at the heart of power.
The world itself is but a large prison,
The world itself is but a large prison, out of which some are daily led to execution.
Self is the only prison that can bind
Self is the only prison that can bind the soul.
We who live in prison, and in whose
We who live in prison, and in whose lives there is no event but sorrow, have to measure time by throbs of pain, and the record of bitter moments.
A pedestal is as much a prison as any
A pedestal is as much a prison as any small, confined space.
Society has used the juvenile courts to
Society has used the juvenile courts to create a caste system where there are throw-away people.
Since 1957, black people have
Since 1957, black people have experienced double-digit unemployment - in good times and bad times. Look at the population of African Americans in prison. They represent more than half the population of prisoners in the country, 55 percent of those on death row.
There is no greater punishment of
There is no greater punishment of wickedness that that it is dissatisfied with itself and its deeds.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.
Nothing can be more abhorrent to
Nothing can be more abhorrent to democracy than to imprison a person or keep him in prison because he is unpopular. This is really the test of civilization.
We are prisoners of ideas.
We are prisoners of ideas.
Hard cases, it is said, make bad law.
Hard cases, it is said, make bad law.
It is the deed that teaches, not the
It is the deed that teaches, not the name we give it. Murder and capital punishment are not opposites that cancel one another, but similars that breed their own kind.
I know not whether laws be right, or
I know not whether laws be right, or whether laws be wrong; All that we know who lie in gaol is that the wall is strong; And that each day is like a year, a year whose days are long.
Do not lay on the multitude the blame
Do not lay on the multitude the blame that is due to a few.
I just remember that disturbing feeling
I just remember that disturbing feeling of walking into that prison, the complete loss of privacy, the complete loss of stimulation, dignity.
Corporal punishment falls far more
Corporal punishment falls far more heavily than most weighty pecuniary penalty.
