The power of punishment is to silence,
The power of punishment is to silence, not to confute.
When I was in prison, I was wrapped up
When I was in prison, I was wrapped up in all those deep books. That Tolstoy crap - people shouldn't read that stuff.
A man will be imprisoned in a room with
A man will be imprisoned in a room with a door that's unlocked and opens inwards, as long as it does not occur to him to pull rather than push.
The degree of civilization in a society
The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.
The English laws punish vice; the
The English laws punish vice; the Chinese laws do more, they reward virtue.
The number of laws is constantly growing
The number of laws is constantly growing in all countries and, owing to this, what is called crime is very often not a crime at all, for it contains no element of violence or harm.
In prison, you get the chance to see who
In prison, you get the chance to see who really loves you.
No written law has been more binding
No written law has been more binding than unwritten custom supported by popular opinion.
Clemency alone makes us equal to the
Clemency alone makes us equal to the gods.
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.
Reality becomes a prison to those who
Reality becomes a prison to those who can’t get out of it.
Some laws of state aimed at curbing
Some laws of state aimed at curbing crime are even more criminal.
We're in a war. People who blast some
We're in a war. People who blast some pot on a casual basis are guilty of treason.
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.
When you are younger you get blamed for
When you are younger you get blamed for crimes you never committed and when you're older you begin to get credit for virtues you never possessed. It evens itself out.
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.
To seek the redress of grievances by
To seek the redress of grievances by going to law, is like sheep running for shelter to a bramble bush.
There's no greater threat to our
There's no greater threat to our independence, to our cherished freedoms and personal liberties than the continual, relentless injection of these insidious poisons into our system. We must decide whether we cherish independence from drugs, without which there is no freedom.
Wherever any one is against his will,
Wherever any one is against his will, that is to him a prison.
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.
If you share the crime of your friend,
If you share the crime of your friend, you make it your own.
Three hundred years ago a prisoner
Three hundred years ago a prisoner condemned to the Tower of London carved on the wall of his cell this sentiment to keep up his spirits during his long imprisonment: “It is not adversity that kills, but the impatience with which we bear adversity.”
Why would anyone expect him to come out
Why would anyone expect him to come out smarter? He went to prison for three years, not Princeton.
It is the spirit and not the form of law
It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive.
Care should be taken that the punishment
Care should be taken that the punishment does not exceed the guilt; and also that some men do not suffer for offenses for which others are not even indicted.
