--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Behind bars, everyone's an inmate…" description: "\"Behind bars, everyone's an inmate. Everybody has their skeletons; everybody has their story.\" — Brian Banks" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/brian-banks-18280_bars_behind-bars-everyone-s-an-inmate-everybo_2613258.jpg" --- # Behind bars, everyone's an inmate. Everybody has their… ![“Behind bars, everyone's an inmate. Everybody has their skeletons; everybody has their story.” quote by Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/brian-banks-18280_bars_behind-bars-everyone-s-an-inmate-everybo_2613258.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/brian-banks-18280_bars_behind-bars-everyone-s-an-inmate-everybo_2613258.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/brian-banks-18280_bars_behind-bars-everyone-s-an-inmate-everybo_2613258.jpg) > “Behind bars, everyone's an inmate. Everybody has their skeletons; everybody has their story.” [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Everyone has hidden struggles and stories, regardless of status. **In simple terms:** All have secrets. Key Takeaway Listen without judgment. Themes empathy story humanity Mood empathetic thoughtful Type narrative inspirational When to use this quote - prison reform - therapy - team building - conflict resolution Key Concepts sociology psychology Questions to Reflect On - What story lies beneath a person's exterior? - How can we create safe spaces for sharing? A Different Perspective Overgeneralizing can erase individual nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bars/) [Behind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behind/) [Everybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everybody/) [Everybody Skeletons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everybody-skeletons-2046367/) [Everybody Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everybody-story-775390/) [Everyone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyone/) [Inmate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inmate/) [Inmate Everybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inmate-everybody-2046366/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Skeletons Everybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skeletons-everybody-2046368/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) ## Related quotes > [“She tried not to think of her father, once a brief inmate of those twenty-foot-high, three-foot-thick crenellated walls. Now”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/she-tried-not-to-think-of-her-father-once-a-brief-inmate-of-those/) [J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/) > [“When the prison gates slam behind an inmate, he does not lose his human quality; his mind does not become closed to ideas; his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/when-the-prison-gates-slam-behind-an-inmate-he-does-not-lose-his/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [Books are to me as homemade tattoos are to an inmate. Can't get enough of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-notaro/books-are-to-me-as-homemade-tattoos-are-to-an-inmate-can-t-get-enough/) [Laurie Notaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-notaro/) > [“On the way here, I stopped in the office of a block captain who wanted to tell me about an inmate who was caught…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/on-the-way-here-i-stopped-in-the-office-of-a-block-captain-who-wanted/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“The inmates made jokes about the chair, the way people always make jokes about things that frighten them but can't be gotten away from.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-inmates-made-jokes-about-the-chair-the-way-people-always-make/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [One court date can turn an outlaw to an inmate but just stay, ship him upstate by the Great Lakes and than a-wait and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kool-g-rap/one-court-date-can-turn-an-outlaw-to-an-inmate-but-just-stay-ship-him/) [Kool G Rap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kool-g-rap/) > [“The fellow inmate shook his head and walked away mumbling to himself. Andrews smiled”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiliam-roy-pipes/the-fellow-inmate-shook-his-head-and-walked-away-mumbling-to-himself/) [Wiliam Roy Pipes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiliam-roy-pipes/) > [“I noticed some scratch marks and faded blood stains high up on a wall. “What happened there?” “An inmate must have tried to escape.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-palmer/i-noticed-some-scratch-marks-and-faded-blood-stains-high-up-on-a-wall/) [Simon Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-palmer/) > [“We visit...a neighboring grave-yard. I am by this time in a condition of mind to become a willing inmate of the place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/we-visit-a-neighboring-grave-yard-i-am-by-this-time-in-a-condition-of/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [“EARLY MORNING IN THE yard at the Men’s Reformatory at Anamosa, prisoners lounging about, doing lazy time, and here comes John Wayne Gacy, inmate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cahill/early-morning-in-the-yard-at-the-men-s-reformatory-at-anamosa/) [Tim Cahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cahill/) > [On Wednesday, a 55 year-old inmate escaped from Rikers Island after he convinced guards that he was a lawyer. Guards probably should've become suspicious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-meyers/on-wednesday-a-55-year-old-inmate-escaped-from-rikers-island-after-he/) [Seth Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-meyers/) > [“I would rather die and to go hell than wake up one day and find myself an inmate in that guesthouse of gone minds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/i-would-rather-die-and-to-go-hell-than-wake-up-one-day-and-find/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [So are you an inmate or a rubbernecker?" she asks. "Rubbernecker," I answer without hesitation. "You?" "I'm a screw. Or on staff, anyway. Used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-beukes/so-are-you-an-inmate-or-a-rubbernecker-she-asks-rubbernecker-i-answer/) [Lauren Beukes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-beukes/) > [“Any who say they are not willing to shoot an inmate are not hired.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-earley/any-who-say-they-are-not-willing-to-shoot-an-inmate-are-not-hired/) [Pete Earley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-earley/) > [There'll be moments when I'm out in the prison yard, chatting with the cast and the crew, getting ready to shoot a scene. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/there-ll-be-moments-when-i-m-out-in-the-prison-yard-chatting-with-the/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) ## More by Brian Banks > [I think of my mother constantly. And how she sacrificed her home and car for my freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/i-think-of-my-mother-constantly-and-how-she-sacrificed-her-home-and/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [Wrongful convictions need to be addressed in America. There are a lot of Brian Banks behind bars right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/wrongful-convictions-need-to-be-addressed-in-america-there-are-a-lot/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [It's not what you go through, but how that experience affects you. For some people, it could be a near car crash that changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/it-s-not-what-you-go-through-but-how-that-experience-affects-you-for/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [People ask, 'Do I have trust issues?' I wouldn't say I have trust issues. I have trust concerns. It's valuable for me to trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/people-ask-do-i-have-trust-issues-i-wouldn-t-say-i-have-trust-issues/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [I had a good upbringing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/i-had-a-good-upbringing/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [Just to be on the sideline and to hear all the veterans tell you, 'Man, when your turn comes, when they call your number,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/just-to-be-on-the-sideline-and-to-hear-all-the-veterans-tell-you-man/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [I want to be in a better position than what I was yesterday. The only way that can happen is by eliminating any negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/i-want-to-be-in-a-better-position-than-what-i-was-yesterday-the-only/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [I have to share my story. Not for me, but for the people who might go through the same thing and for juveniles who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/i-have-to-share-my-story-not-for-me-but-for-the-people-who-might-go/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [There was a time when I had nothing. I lost everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/there-was-a-time-when-i-had-nothing-i-lost-everything/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [To make a 53-man roster would be a huge accomplishment - right up there with getting exonerated for a crime I didn't commit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/to-make-a-53-man-roster-would-be-a-huge-accomplishment-right-up-there/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [All the negativity that was once around me has turned into all this positivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/all-the-negativity-that-was-once-around-me-has-turned-into-all-this/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [There are many innocent people in prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/there-are-many-innocent-people-in-prison/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [To be stripped of your freedom, to be stripped of your dignity and the respect you once had, to lose it all and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/to-be-stripped-of-your-freedom-to-be-stripped-of-your-dignity-and-the/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [You have to realize that myself and others that have been wrongfully convicted of crimes, we've dealt with the situation. You realize that you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/you-have-to-realize-that-myself-and-others-that-have-been-wrongfully/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) > [I feel my situation is no different from anybody else's experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/i-feel-my-situation-is-no-different-from-anybody-else-s-experiences/) [Brian Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) [Explore all 35 Brian Banks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/) ## More Bars quotes > [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [Your thief looks Exactly like the rest, or rather better; 'Tis only at the bar, and in the dungeon, That wise men know your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/your-thief-looks-exactly-like-the-rest-or-rather-better-tis-only-at/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [While traveling, I love granola bars, trail mix nuts, dry cereal and fruit for on-the-go snacks. I also try and start the day with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-rampone/while-traveling-i-love-granola-bars-trail-mix-nuts-dry-cereal-and/) [Christie Rampone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-rampone/) > [3 people get stranded on a remote Island A Banker, a Daily Mail reader & an Asylum seeker All they have to eat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-brookmyre/3-people-get-stranded-on-a-remote-island-a-banker-a-daily-mail-reader/) [Christopher Brookmyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-brookmyre/) > [Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house unless they have a well-stocked bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/thou-shalt-not-covet-thy-neighbor-s-house-unless-they-have-a-well/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [Meanwhile after failing the bar twice, I knew some people in New York and moved here in August '71.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-quine/meanwhile-after-failing-the-bar-twice-i-knew-some-people-in-new-york/) [Robert Quine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-quine/) > [If you look at coffee, tea, food and juice, we think there are inherent opportunities. If you look at health bars or grab-and-go products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/if-you-look-at-coffee-tea-food-and-juice-we-think-there-are-inherent/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [At about 10 o'clock in the morning the sun threw a bright dust-laden bar through one of the side windows and in and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/at-about-10-o-clock-in-the-morning-the-sun-threw-a-bright-dust-laden/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I bet a guy at a bar 50 bucks that I was more dysfunctional than he was. He raped me. So I tipped him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-a-guy-at-a-bar-50-bucks-that-i-was-more-dysfunctional-than-he/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I closed my own jazz bar so I could be a man who can write novels as I like. I was pleased about that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-closed-my-own-jazz-bar-so-i-could-be-a-man-who-can-write-novels-as/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [My parents were Orthodox Jews but not very regular Orthodox Jews. I was bar mitzvahed and all that. But God was hardly ever mentioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-parents-were-orthodox-jews-but-not-very-regular-orthodox-jews-i/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [I know a lot about Canadian politics. I lived in Canadian bars for six years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/i-know-a-lot-about-canadian-politics-i-lived-in-canadian-bars-for-six/) [Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/) > [History is the heavy traffic that prevents us from crossing the road. We're not especially interested in what it consists of. We wait, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/history-is-the-heavy-traffic-that-prevents-us-from-crossing-the-road/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) [Browse all 1,768 Bars quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bars/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Behind bars, everyone's an inmate. Everybody has their skeletons; everybody has their story.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brian Banks" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/behind-bars-everyone-s-an-inmate-everybody-has-their-skeletons/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bars" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/behind-bars-everyone-s-an-inmate-everybody-has-their-skeletons/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/brian-banks-18280_bars_behind-bars-everyone-s-an-inmate-everybo_2613258.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/brian-banks-18280_bars_behind-bars-everyone-s-an-inmate-everybo_2613258.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/brian-banks-18280_bars_behind-bars-everyone-s-an-inmate-everybo_2613258.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Behind bars, everyone's an inmate. Everybody has their skeletons; everybody has their story.” — Brian Banks", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "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": "Brian Banks", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-banks/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Behind bars, everyone's an inmate. Everybody...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/behind-bars-everyone-s-an-inmate-everybody-has-their-skeletons/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-banks/behind-bars-everyone-s-an-inmate-everybody-has-their-skeletons/#breadcrumb" }, { "@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 } } ] } ```