--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This book is about getting closer to mass…" description: "\"“This book is about getting closer to mass incarceration and extreme punishment in America. It is about how easily we condemn people in this country an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec1/bryan-stevenson-4134_book_this-book-is-about-getting-closer-to-mas_2933959.jpg" --- # This book is about getting closer to mass incarceration… ![“This book is about getting closer to mass incarceration and extreme punishment in America. It is about how easily we condemn people in this country and the injustice we create when we allow fear, anger, and distance to shape the way we treat the most vulnerable among us. It's also about a dramatic…” quote by Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec1/bryan-stevenson-4134_book_this-book-is-about-getting-closer-to-mas_2933959.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec1/bryan-stevenson-4134_book_this-book-is-about-getting-closer-to-mas_2933959.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec1/bryan-stevenson-4134_book_this-book-is-about-getting-closer-to-mas_2933959.jpg) > ““This book is about getting closer to mass incarceration and extreme punishment in America. It is about how easily we condemn people in this country and the injustice we create when we allow fear, anger, and distance to shape the way we treat the most vulnerable among us. It's also about a dramatic period in our recent history, a period that indelibly marked the lives of millions of Americans--of all races, ages, and sexes--and the American psyche as a whole.”” [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The excerpt highlights how fear, anger, and social distance fuel harsh criminal justice policies, leading to mass incarceration and suffering for vulnerable populations. **In simple terms:** Fear and anger drive unjust punishment. Key Takeaway Challenge systemic bias. Themes justice incarceration racism policy human rights Mood urgent somber reflective Type nonfiction activist analytical When to use this quote - courtrooms - prison reform advocacy - community outreach - policy debates Key Concepts Critical theory social justice penology Questions to Reflect On - What personal biases influence your view on punishment? - How can empathy reshape criminal justice? A Different Perspective Change requires confronting deep‑seated societal fears. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Incarceration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incarceration/) [Injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injustice/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Mass incarceration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass-incarceration/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) ## Related quotes > [The reality is that capital punishment in America is a lottery. It is a punishment that is shaped by the constraints of poverty, race,…](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/) > [We are all implicated when we allow other people to be mistreated. An absence of compassion can corrupt the decency of a community, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/we-are-all-implicated-when-we-allow-other-people-to-be-mistreated-an/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [“Between 1990 and 2005, a new prison opened in the United States every ten days. Prison growth and the resulting “prison-industrial complex”—the business interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/between-1990-and-2005-a-new-prison-opened-in-the-united-states-every/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [“Proximity has taught me some basic and humbling truths, including this vital lesson: Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/proximity-has-taught-me-some-basic-and-humbling-truths-including-this/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [“I believe that there are four institutions in American history that have shaped our approach to race and justice but remain poorly understood. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/i-believe-that-there-are-four-institutions-in-american-history-that/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [Many states can no longer afford to support public education, public benefits, public services without doing something about the exorbitant costs that mass incarceration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/many-states-can-no-longer-afford-to-support-public-education-public/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [Homicide detective tryin to threaten me with some time, only thing I ever murdered was college ruled lines, there's a patent in punishment in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/z-ro/homicide-detective-tryin-to-threaten-me-with-some-time-only-thing-i/) Z-Ro > [We have a legal system, and this is not something that happens all the time. We have capital punishment. America has capital punishment. Iran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adel-al-jubeir/we-have-a-legal-system-and-this-is-not-something-that-happens-all-the/) [Adel al-Jubeir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adel-al-jubeir/) > [When you talk about "white privilege", you're talking about something systemic. When you're talking about "black privilege" it's something spiritual because we as black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlamagne-tha-god/when-you-talk-about-white-privilege-you-re-talking-about-something/) [Charlamagne Tha God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlamagne-tha-god/) > [“We should ask ourselves whether efforts to achieve "cosmetic" racial diversity- that is, reform efforts that make institutions look good on the surface without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/we-should-ask-ourselves-whether-efforts-to-achieve-cosmetic-racial/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The prison industrial complex, to put it in its crassest term, is a system of industrial mass incarceration. So there's what you call bureaucratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-jarecki/the-prison-industrial-complex-to-put-it-in-its-crassest-term-is-a/) [Eugene Jarecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-jarecki/) > [“The impact of the new caste system is most tragically felt among the young. In Chicago (as in other cities across the United States),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-impact-of-the-new-caste-system-is-most-tragically-felt-among-the/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The mass incarceration of poor people of color, particularly black men, has emerged as a new caste system, one specifically designed to address the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-mass-incarceration-of-poor-people-of-color-particularly-black-men/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [If we continue to tell ourselves the popular myths about racial progress or, worse yet, if we say to ourselves that the problem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-we-continue-to-tell-ourselves-the-popular-myths-about-racial/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Our criminal justice system has swallowed up too many people I love. I am proud to join the ACLU in the fight to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-k-williams/our-criminal-justice-system-has-swallowed-up-too-many-people-i-love-i/) [Michael K. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-k-williams/) ## 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/) [Explore all 115 Bryan Stevenson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. 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