--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everyone in prison has an ideal of…" description: "\"“Everyone in prison has an ideal of violence, murder. Beneath all relationships between prisoners is the ever-present fact of murder. It ultimately def..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccd/jack-henry-abbott-37565_crime_everyone-in-prison-has-an-ideal-of-viole_785202.jpg" --- # Everyone in prison has an ideal of violence, murder… ![“Everyone in prison has an ideal of violence, murder. Beneath all relationships between prisoners is the ever-present fact of murder. It ultimately defines our relationship among ourselves.” quote by Jack Henry Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccd/jack-henry-abbott-37565_crime_everyone-in-prison-has-an-ideal-of-viole_785202.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccd/jack-henry-abbott-37565_crime_everyone-in-prison-has-an-ideal-of-viole_785202.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccd/jack-henry-abbott-37565_crime_everyone-in-prison-has-an-ideal-of-viole_785202.jpg) > ““Everyone in prison has an ideal of violence, murder. Beneath all relationships between prisoners is the ever-present fact of murder. It ultimately defines our relationship among ourselves.”” [Jack Henry Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-henry-abbott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Violence is a constant undercurrent in prison life, shaping how inmates interact and view each other. **In simple terms:** Prison life is dominated by violence. Key Takeaway Recognize and address the roots of aggression. Themes violence power relationships survival Mood tense reflective Type critical analytical When to use this quote - prison reform - conflict resolution - rehabilitation programs Key Concepts psychology social dynamics institutional control Questions to Reflect On - How does institutional power fuel violence? - What alternatives to aggression exist in prisons? A Different Perspective Violence may be a symptom of deeper systemic failures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Ideal Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideal-violence-6041672/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Prison Ideal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison-ideal-2166935/) [Relationships Prisoners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships-prisoners-5806368/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Violence Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence-murder-2433971/) ## Related quotes > [I have been to Guantanamo. It's a model prison. Is it ideal? No. But we live in a very un-ideal world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-t-king/i-have-been-to-guantanamo-it-s-a-model-prison-is-it-ideal-no-but-we/) [Peter T. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-t-king/) > [“The price of admission to a relationship with an extreme narcissist is self-annihilation. One of my clients quipped: “Narcissists don’t have relationships; they take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-walker/the-price-of-admission-to-a-relationship-with-an-extreme-narcissist/) [Pete Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-walker/) > [Through violence, you may murder the hater, but you do not murder the hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/through-violence-you-may-murder-the-hater-but-you-do-not-murder-the/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Violence never really deals with the basic evil of the situation. Violence may murder the murderer, but it doesn’t murder murder. Violence may murder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/violence-never-really-deals-with-the-basic-evil-of-the-situation/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Have I mentioned that I expect death around every turn, that every blue sky has a safe sailing out of it, that every bus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-moody/have-i-mentioned-that-i-expect-death-around-every-turn-that-every/) [Rick Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-moody/) > [The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-ultimate-weakness-of-violence-is-that-it-is-a-descending-spiral-5/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“For through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can’t murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can’t establish truth. Through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-maull-mckinstry/for-through-violence-you-may-murder-a-murderer-but-you-can-t-murder/) [Carolyn Maull McKinstry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-maull-mckinstry/) > [“Through violence you may murder the hater, but you cannot murder hate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/through-violence-you-may-murder-the-hater-but-you-cannot-murder-hate/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [I feel that non-violence is really the only way that we can follow because violence is just so self-defeating. A riot ends up creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-feel-that-non-violence-is-really-the-only-way-that-we-can-follow/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [To be in prison so long, it's difficult to remember exactly what you did to get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-henry-abbott/to-be-in-prison-so-long-it-s-difficult-to-remember-exactly-what-you/) [Jack Henry Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-henry-abbott/) > [Attica. The name itself has long signified resistance to prison abuse and state violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr/attica-the-name-itself-has-long-signified-resistance-to-prison-abuse/) [James Forman, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr/) > [In prison, the gloves were off, the comforting rhetoric and rationalization were absent. 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Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/humanitarian-goods-and-people-must-flow-in-both-directions-gaza/) [David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/) ## More by Jack Henry Abbott > [To be in prison so long, it's difficult to remember exactly what you did to get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-henry-abbott/to-be-in-prison-so-long-it-s-difficult-to-remember-exactly-what-you/) [Jack Henry Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-henry-abbott/) > [“I cannot be critical of an infant whose only possible source of nourishment can be found in the dugs of a wolf.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-henry-abbott/i-cannot-be-critical-of-an-infant-whose-only-possible-source-of/) [Jack Henry Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-henry-abbott/) > [There was never sufficient evidence presented at my trial to support a finding of intent to kill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-henry-abbott/there-was-never-sufficient-evidence-presented-at-my-trial-to-support/) [Jack Henry Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-henry-abbott/) > [I have been desperate to escape for so many years now, it is routine for me to try to escape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-henry-abbott/i-have-been-desperate-to-escape-for-so-many-years-now-it-is-routine/) [Jack Henry Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-henry-abbott/) > [I escaped one time. 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The instant you remove it, they fall back into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-henry-abbott/the-only-time-they-appear-human-is-when-you-have-a-knife-at-their/) [Jack Henry Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-henry-abbott/) > [The other inmates stand in a long straight line, flanked by guards, and I am dragged past them. I do not respect them, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-henry-abbott/the-other-inmates-stand-in-a-long-straight-line-flanked-by-guards-and/) [Jack Henry Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-henry-abbott/) > [“Sometimes I doubt that anyone with a philosophical turn of mind is fit to judge anyone. He never comprehends the concept of guilt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-henry-abbott/sometimes-i-doubt-that-anyone-with-a-philosophical-turn-of-mind-is/) [Jack Henry Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-henry-abbott/) > [Nothing is over and done with. Nothing. Not even your malice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-henry-abbott/nothing-is-over-and-done-with-nothing-not-even-your-malice/) [Jack Henry Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-henry-abbott/) [Explore all 12 Jack Henry Abbott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-henry-abbott/) ## More Crime quotes > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. 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I don't want to make the same mistakes the criminals do! ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/taking-notes-while-watching-forensic-files-and-snapped-i-don-t-want/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. 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