---
title: "3 Capital punishment Quotes By Bryan Stevenson"
description: "3 Capital punishment quotes by Bryan Stevenson. Plus more from Bryan Stevenson and more Capital punishment sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/bryan-stevenson-4134_against-death-penalt_the-reality-is-that-capital-punishment-i_983789.png"
---

> [The reality is that capital punishment in America is a lottery. It is a punishment that is shaped by the constraints of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/the-reality-is-that-capital-punishment-in-america-is-a-lottery-it-is/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/bryan-stevenson-4134_against-death-penalt_the-reality-is-that-capital-punishment-i_983789.png)

> [Embracing a certain quotient of racial bias and discrimination against the poor is an inexorable aspect of supporting capital punishment. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/embracing-a-certain-quotient-of-racial-bias-and-discrimination/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/bryan-stevenson-4134_accepting_embracing-a-certain-quotient-of-racial-b_1070684.jpg)

> [“Walter made me understand why we have to reform a system of criminal justice that continues to treat people better if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/walter-made-me-understand-why-we-have-to-reform-a-system-of-criminal/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/bryan-stevenson-4134_capital-punishment_walter-made-me-understand-why-we-have-to_2148730.jpg)

## More by Bryan Stevenson

> [I love museums, and I think they're fantastic, but they don't touch the people who I frequently think need to be touched with at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-love-museums-and-i-think-they-re-fantastic-but-they-don-t-touch-the/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

> [I've come to understand and to believe that each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done. I believe that for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-ve-come-to-understand-and-to-believe-that-each-of-us-is-more-than/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

> [I'm persuaded that if most people saw what I see on a regular basis, they would want change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-m-persuaded-that-if-most-people-saw-what-i-see-on-a-regular-basis/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

> [When you come to Montgomery, you see fifty-nine monuments and memorials, all about the Civil War, all about Confederate leaders and generals. We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/when-you-come-to-montgomery-you-see-fifty-nine-monuments-and/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

> [“These aren’t my scars, cuts, and bruises. These are my medals of honor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/these-aren-t-my-scars-cuts-and-bruises-these-are-my-medals-of-honor/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

> [The Bureau of Justice reports that one in three black male babies born this century will go to jail or prison - that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/the-bureau-of-justice-reports-that-one-in-three-black-male-babies/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

> [If you're just the person with power, exercising that power fearfully and angrily, you're going to be an operative of injustice and inequality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/if-you-re-just-the-person-with-power-exercising-that-power-fearfully/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

> [In a landscape littered with all of this imagery about the nobility of the Civil War and the Confederate effort and struggle, the absence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/in-a-landscape-littered-with-all-of-this-imagery-about-the-nobility/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

> [If you love your community, then you need to be insisting on justice in all circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/if-you-love-your-community-then-you-need-to-be-insisting-on-justice/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

> [There was never a time you could get the majority of people in Alabama or Mississippi, or even southern Delaware, to vote to end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/there-was-never-a-time-you-could-get-the-majority-of-people-in/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

> [I talk about my grandmother a lot, because she's an amazing person - not in some dramatic, distinct, unique way, but anybody who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-talk-about-my-grandmother-a-lot-because-she-s-an-amazing-person-not/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

> [You can't understand what happened to Michael Brown in Ferguson, you can't understand what happened to Eric Garner in New York City, without understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/you-can-t-understand-what-happened-to-michael-brown-in-ferguson-you/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

> [I know this might be broadcast broadly. But I'm 52 years old, and I'm going to admit to you that I've never had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-know-this-might-be-broadcast-broadly-but-i-m-52-years-old-and-i-m/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

> [Are you the sum total of your worst acts?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/are-you-the-sum-total-of-your-worst-acts/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

> [If we want to be proud of our country, if we want to be proud as Americans, if we want to be proud of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/if-we-want-to-be-proud-of-our-country-if-we-want-to-be-proud-as/)

[Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capital-punishment/bryan-stevenson/#itemlist",
            "name": "3 Capital punishment Quotes By Bryan Stevenson",
            "numberOfItems": 3,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "The reality is that capital punishment in America is a lottery. It is a punishment that is shaped by the constraints of poverty, race, geography and local politics.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Bryan Stevenson"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/the-reality-is-that-capital-punishment-in-america-is-a-lottery-it-is/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/bryan-stevenson-4134_against-death-penalt_the-reality-is-that-capital-punishment-i_983789.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/bryan-stevenson-4134_against-death-penalt_the-reality-is-that-capital-punishment-i_983789.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/bryan-stevenson-4134_against-death-penalt_the-reality-is-that-capital-punishment-i_983789.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“The reality is that capital punishment in America is a lottery. It is a punishment that is shaped by the…” — Bryan Stevenson",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Embracing a certain quotient of racial bias and discrimination against the poor is an inexorable aspect of supporting capital punishment. This is an immoral condition that makes rejecting the death penalty on moral grounds not only defensible but necessary for those who refuse to accept unequal or unjust administration of punishment.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Bryan Stevenson"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/embracing-a-certain-quotient-of-racial-bias-and-discrimination/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/bryan-stevenson-4134_accepting_embracing-a-certain-quotient-of-racial-b_1070684.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/bryan-stevenson-4134_accepting_embracing-a-certain-quotient-of-racial-b_1070684.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/bryan-stevenson-4134_accepting_embracing-a-certain-quotient-of-racial-b_1070684.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Embracing a certain quotient of racial bias and discrimination against the poor is an inexorable aspect of…” — Bryan Stevenson",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“Walter made me understand why we have to reform a system of criminal justice that continues to treat people better if they are rich and guilty than if they are poor and innocent. A system that denies the poor the legal help they need, that makes wealth and status more important than culpability, must be changed. Walter's case taught me that fear and anger are a threat to justice; they can infect a community, a state, or a nation and make us blind, irrational, and dangerous. I reflected on how mass imprisonment has littered the national landscape with carceral monuments of reckless and excessive punishment and ravaged communities with our hopeless willingness to condemn and discard the most vulnerable among us. I told the congregation that Walter's case had taught me that the death penalty is not about whether people deserve to die for the crimes they commit. The real question of capital punishment in this country is, Do we deserve to kill? ”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Bryan Stevenson"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/walter-made-me-understand-why-we-have-to-reform-a-system-of-criminal/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/bryan-stevenson-4134_capital-punishment_walter-made-me-understand-why-we-have-to_2148730.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/bryan-stevenson-4134_capital-punishment_walter-made-me-understand-why-we-have-to_2148730.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/bryan-stevenson-4134_capital-punishment_walter-made-me-understand-why-we-have-to_2148730.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Walter made me understand why we have to reform a system of criminal justice that continues to treat people…” — Bryan Stevenson",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capital-punishment/bryan-stevenson/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capital-punishment/bryan-stevenson/",
            "name": "Capital punishment Quotes by Bryan Stevenson",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capital-punishment/bryan-stevenson/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/bryan-stevenson-4134_against-death-penalt_the-reality-is-that-capital-punishment-i_983789.png"
            },
            "description": "3 Capital punishment quotes by Bryan Stevenson. Plus more from Bryan Stevenson and more Capital punishment sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capital-punishment/bryan-stevenson/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capital-punishment/bryan-stevenson/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Capital Punishment",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capital-punishment/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Bryan Stevenson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capital-punishment/bryan-stevenson/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```