Jail quotes

Jail

580 quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.

580 quotes
Bryan Stevenson
Bryan Stevenson Lawyer, Author

"The Bureau of Justice reports that one in three black male babies born this century will go to jail or prison - that is an absolutely astonishing statistic. And it ought to be terrorizing to not just to people of color, but to all of us."

Explore further

Browse quotes that often appear alongside jail — connected by shared ideas and recurring themes.

Quote collection

Jail quotes (page 1 of 29)

Follow a thought to its author, or read the full quote page.

Henry David Thoreau Writer, Philosopher
Jail

"In 1848, Thoreau went to jail for refusing, as a protest against the Mexican war, to pay his poll tax. When RW Emerson came to bail him out, Emerson said, 'Henry, what are you doing in there?' Thoreau quietly replied, 'Ralph, what are you doing out there?'"

Read quote 72 likes
Khalil Gibran Poet, Writer
Jail

"Where is the justice of political power if it executes the murderer and jails the plunderer, and then itself marches upon neighboring lands, killing thousands and pillaging the very hills?"

Read quote 67 likes
Dwight D. Eisenhower Military Leader, Politician
Jail

"Why are we proud? We are proud, first of all, because from the beginning of this Nation, a man can walk upright, no matter who he is, or who she is. He can walk upright and meet his friend - or his enemy; and he does not fear that because that enemy may be in a position of great power that he can be suddenly thrown in jail to rot there without charges and with no recourse to justice. We have the habeas corpus act, and we respect it."

Read quote 64 likes
Jean Genet Playwright, Novelist
Jail

"There is a close relationship between flowers and convicts. The fragility and delicacy of the former are of the same nature as the brutal insensitivity of the latter."

Read quote 56 likes
Bob Dylan Singer-songwriter
Jail

"They say that patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings steal a little and they throw you in jail. Steal a lot and then they make you king."

Read quote 53 likes
Mother Jones Labor Activist
Jail

"a TEN-YEAR-OLD lad in Indianapolis who was arrested for picking up coal along the side of railroad tracks is now in jail. If the boy had known enough to steal the whole railroad he would be heralded as a Napoleon of finance."

Read quote 53 likes
Theodore Roosevelt Politician, Author
Jail

"This country has nothing to fear from the crooked man who fails. We put him in jail. It is the crooked man who succeeds who is a threat to this country."

Read quote 46 likes
Martin Luther Theologian
Jail

"We need to pledge ourselves anew to the cause of Christ. We must capture the spirit of the early church. Wherever the early Christians went, they made a triumphant witness for Christ. Whether on the village streets or in the city jails, they daringly proclaimed the good news of the gospel."

Read quote 45 likes
Eminem Rapper, songwriter, record producer
Jail

"I've got to formulate a plot or end up in jail or shot, success is my only option, failure's not."

Read quote 40 likes
Coretta Scott King Civil Rights Activist
Jail

"Nelson Mandela sat in a South African prison for 27 years. He was nonviolent. He negotiated his way out of jail. His honor and suffering of 27 years in a South African prison is really ultimately what brought about the freedom of South Africa. That is nonviolence."

Read quote 39 likes
Christopher Doyle Cinematographer
Jail

"You see the world, you end up in jail three or four times, you accumulate experience. And it gives you something to say. If you don't have anything to say then you shouldn't be making films. It's nothing to do with what lens you're using."

Read quote 31 likes
Nelson Mandela Political Leader
Jail

"People tend to measure themselves by external accomplishments, but jail allows a person to focus on internal ones; such as honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, generosity and an absence of variety. You learn to look into yourself."

Read quote 27 likes
Jail

"Goddamnit, look! We live here and they live there. We black and they white. They got things and we ain't. They do things and we can't. It's just like livin' in jail."

Read quote 23 likes