--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A prison cell, in which one waits…" description: "\"A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes...and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_advent_a-prison-cell-in-which-one-waits-hopes-a_529343.jpg" --- # A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes...and is… ![“A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes...and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.” quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_advent_a-prison-cell-in-which-one-waits-hopes-a_529343.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_advent_a-prison-cell-in-which-one-waits-hopes-a_529343.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_advent_a-prison-cell-in-which-one-waits-hopes-a_529343.jpg) > “A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes...and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.” [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freedom depends on external forces; hope persists despite confinement. **In simple terms:** Freedom needs outside help; hope remains. Key Takeaway Seek community to unlock freedom. Themes faith hope dependence advent Mood reflective hopeful Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - prison reform - personal growth - spiritual practice Key Concepts theology existentialism spiritual metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How do you rely on others for freedom? - What internal changes can you make? 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"You are like a like a condemned man, proud of the vastness of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-de-mello/you-are-so-proud-of-your-intelligence-said-the-master-you-are-like-a/) [Anthony de Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-de-mello/) > [Each night within his prison cell, he looks out through the bars. He reads the letters that she wrote. One day he'll know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nightwish/each-night-within-his-prison-cell-he-looks-out-through-the-bars-he/) [Nightwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nightwish/) > [“Learn to be content with yourself, if you do not do that, you will live as if you are in a prison cell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-gugu-mona/learn-to-be-content-with-yourself-if-you-do-not-do-that-you-will-live/) [Gift Gugu Mona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-gugu-mona/) ## More by Dietrich Bonhoeffer > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Why do Christians sing when they are together? The reason is, quite simply, because in singing together it is possible for them to speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/why-do-christians-sing-when-they-are-together-the-reason-is-quite/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [...Gratitude transforms the torment of memory of good things now gone into silent joy. 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Otherwise the church becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-church-can-only-defend-its-own-space-by-fighting-not-for-space/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [There remains an experience of incomparable value . . . to see the great events of world history from below; from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-remains-an-experience-of-incomparable-value-to-see-the-great/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“To endure the cross is not a tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/to-endure-the-cross-is-not-a-tragedy-it-is-the-suffering-which-is-the/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“There is only one church, the church of faith ruled by the word of Jesus Christ alone. This is the true catholic church that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-is-only-one-church-the-church-of-faith-ruled-by-the-word-of/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“As Christians, we needn’t be at all ashamed of some impatience, longing, opposition to what is unnatural, and our full share of desire for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/as-christians-we-needn-t-be-at-all-ashamed-of-some-impatience-longing/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/those-who-love-their-dream-of-a-christian-community-more-than-the/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“From now on there can be no more wars of faith. The only way to overcome our enemy is by loving him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/from-now-on-there-can-be-no-more-wars-of-faith-the-only-way-to/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“The scriptures do not present us with a series of Christian types to be imitated according to choice; they preach to us in every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-scriptures-do-not-present-us-with-a-series-of-christian-types-to/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/we-are-not-to-simply-bandage-the-wounds-of-victims-beneath-the-wheels/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) [Explore all 711 Dietrich Bonhoeffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) ## More Advent quotes > [“Liturgy gathers the holy community as it reads the Holy Scriptures into the sweeping tidal rhythms of the church year in which the story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/liturgy-gathers-the-holy-community-as-it-reads-the-holy-scriptures/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [“History reveals that times of suffering for the church have also been times of looking upward. Tribulation has always sobered God’s people and encouraged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-w-tozer/history-reveals-that-times-of-suffering-for-the-church-have-also-been/) [A.W. Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-w-tozer/) > [Advent is patience it's how God has made us a people of promise, in a world of impatience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/advent-is-patience-it-s-how-god-has-made-us-a-people-of-promise-in-a/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [Two hundred years ago, before the advent of capitalism, a man's social status was fixed from the beginning to the end of his life;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/two-hundred-years-ago-before-the-advent-of-capitalism-a-man-s-social/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [ Hypertext makes a virtue out of lack of organization, allowing ideas and thoughts to be juxtaposed at will. \[...\] The advent of hypertext is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-a-norman/hypertext-makes-a-virtue-out-of-lack-of-organization-allowing-ideas/) [Donald A. Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-a-norman/) > [Critics of the war plans (including myself) have pointed to the disastrous political results that must be expected: Iraq would break into three parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uri-avnery/critics-of-the-war-plans-including-myself-have-pointed-to-the/) [Uri Avnery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uri-avnery/) > [The true sovereign is not the American president nor the English king, but the Lord of the Second Advent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-myung-moon/the-true-sovereign-is-not-the-american-president-nor-the-english-king/) [Sun Myung Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-myung-moon/) > [For years, particularly with the advent of the Internet, people have been griping about lessening attention spans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/for-years-particularly-with-the-advent-of-the-internet-people-have/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [“It is now, at Advent, that I am given the chance to suspend all expectation...and instead to revel in the mystery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerusalem-jackson-greer/it-is-now-at-advent-that-i-am-given-the-chance-to-suspend-all/) [Jerusalem Jackson Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerusalem-jackson-greer/) > [“On this eve of Christmas, whether you feel yourself to be surrounded by earthly blessings or whether you feel your blessings to be few,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-van-der-vinne/on-this-eve-of-christmas-whether-you-feel-yourself-to-be-surrounded/) [Kerry van der Vinne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-van-der-vinne/) > [If you thought the advent of the Internet, the spread of cheap and efficient information technology, and the growing fragmentation of the consumer market…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/if-you-thought-the-advent-of-the-internet-the-spread-of-cheap-and/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [I think there is no doubt that the advent of 24/7 news channels, which are voracious in their demand for constant new content, has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/i-think-there-is-no-doubt-that-the-advent-of-24-7-news-channels-which/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [The advent of AIDS circa 1980 has really forced medicine and biology to take enormous steps just for sheer survival. The same way war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-di-filippo/the-advent-of-aids-circa-1980-has-really-forced-medicine-and-biology/) [Paul Di Filippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-di-filippo/) > [“I believe deeply that God does his best work in our lives during times of great heartbreak and loss, and I believe that much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/i-believe-deeply-that-god-does-his-best-work-in-our-lives-during/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [Equality is the share of every one at their advent upon earth, and equality is also theirs when placed beneath it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ninon-de-l-enclos/equality-is-the-share-of-every-one-at-their-advent-upon-earth-and/) [Ninon de L'Enclos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ninon-de-l-enclos/) [Browse all 258 Advent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advent/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes...and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dietrich Bonhoeffer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/a-prison-cell-in-which-one-waits-hopes-and-is-completely-dependent-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Advent" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/a-prison-cell-in-which-one-waits-hopes-and-is-completely-dependent-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_advent_a-prison-cell-in-which-one-waits-hopes-a_529343.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_advent_a-prison-cell-in-which-one-waits-hopes-a_529343.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/815/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_advent_a-prison-cell-in-which-one-waits-hopes-a_529343.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes...and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom…” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer", "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": "Dietrich Bonhoeffer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A prison cell, in which one...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/a-prison-cell-in-which-one-waits-hopes-and-is-completely-dependent-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/a-prison-cell-in-which-one-waits-hopes-and-is-completely-dependent-on/#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 } } ] } ```