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.
Crimes lead one into another; they who
Crimes lead one into another; they who are capable of being forgers are capable of being incendiaries.
Two men look out the same prison bars;
Two men look out the same prison bars; one sees mud and the other stars.
Men are not prisoners of fate, but only
Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
Society prepares the crime; the criminal
Society prepares the crime; the criminal commits it.
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 guilt of enforced crimes lies on
The guilt of enforced crimes lies on those who impose them.
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.
While we have prisons it matters little
While we have prisons it matters little which of us occupy the cells.
Every instance of a man's suffering the
Every instance of a man's suffering the penalty of the law is an instance of the failure of that penalty in effecting its purpose, which is to deter.
The common argument that crime is caused
The common argument that crime is caused by poverty is a kind of slander on the poor.
Prosecution I have managed to avoid; but
Prosecution I have managed to avoid; but I have been arrested, charged in a police court, have refused to be bound over, and thereupon have been unconditionally released - to my great regret; for I have always wanted to know what going to prison was like.
The torment of human frustration,
The torment of human frustration, whatever its immediate cause, is the knowledge that the self is in prison, its vital force and 'mangled mind' leaking away in lonely, wasteful self-conflict.
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.
Man is born free, and everywhere he is
Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.
Do not lay on the multitude the blame
Do not lay on the multitude the blame that is due to a few.
Well, I don't think prisons are the
Well, I don't think prisons are the answer to everything, obviously.
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.
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.
The power of punishment is to silence,
The power of punishment is to silence, not to confute.
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.
It is the spirit and not the form of law
It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive.
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.
It is certain that the study of human
It is certain that the study of human psychology, if it were undertaken exclusively in prisons, would also lead to misrepresentation and absurd generalizations.
The contagion of crime is like that of
The contagion of crime is like that of the plague. Criminals collected together corrupt each other; they are worse than ever when at the termination of their punishment they re-enter society.
