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.
The object of punishment is prevention
The object of punishment is prevention from evil; it never can be made impulsive to good.
The common argument that crime is caused
The common argument that crime is caused by poverty is a kind of slander on the poor.
Any punishment that does not correct,
Any punishment that does not correct, that can merely rouse rebellion in whoever has to endure it, is a piece of gratuitous infamy which makes those who impose it more guilty in the eyes of humanity, good sense and reason, nay a hundred times more guilty than the victim on whom the punishment is inflicted.
Punishment, that is the justice for the
Punishment, that is the justice for the unjust.
We are prisoners of ideas.
We are prisoners of ideas.
Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X came out of
Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X came out of prison stronger.
One man meets an infamous punishment for
One man meets an infamous punishment for that crime which confers a diadem upon another.
The most anxious man in a prison is the
The most anxious man in a prison is the governor.
Prison makes you a better judge of
Prison makes you a better judge of character. You pick up on people much faster.
The worst of prison life, he thought,
The worst of prison life, he thought, was not being able to close his door.
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.”
The solution to our drug problem is not
The solution to our drug problem is not in incarceration.
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.
Fast closed with double grills
Fast closed with double grills
And triple gates – the cell
To wicked souls is hell;
But to a mind that's innocent
'Tis only iron, wood and stone.
Hard cases, it is said, make bad law.
Hard cases, it is said, make bad law.
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.
I have been studying how I may compare
I have been studying how I may compare This prison where I live unto the world; And, for because the world is populous, And here is not a creature but myself, I cannot do it. Yet I'll hammer it out.
Man is born free, and everywhere he is
Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.
If you want total security, go to
If you want total security, go to prison. There you’re fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking…is freedom.
I don't like being famous - it is like a
I don't like being famous - it is like a prison. And driving for Ferrari would make it far worse.
One crime is everything; two nothing.
One crime is everything; two nothing.
You utter a vow, or forge a signature,
You utter a vow, or forge a signature, and you may find yourself bound for life to a monastery, a woman, or prison.
The thoughts of a prisoner - they're not
The thoughts of a prisoner - they're not free either. They keep returning to the same things.
He who profits by a crime commits it.
He who profits by a crime commits it.
