--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most exacting jailer is our own…" description: "\"The most exacting jailer is our own conscience.\" — Jean Antoine Petit-Senn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/jean-antoine-petit-senn-9591_conscience_the-most-exacting-jailer-is-our-own-cons_2569923.jpg" --- # The most exacting jailer is our own conscience. ![“The most exacting jailer is our own conscience.” quote by Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/jean-antoine-petit-senn-9591_conscience_the-most-exacting-jailer-is-our-own-cons_2569923.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/jean-antoine-petit-senn-9591_conscience_the-most-exacting-jailer-is-our-own-cons_2569923.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/jean-antoine-petit-senn-9591_conscience_the-most-exacting-jailer-is-our-own-cons_2569923.jpg) > “The most exacting jailer is our own conscience.” [Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our conscience judges us more harshly than any external authority, shaping our self‑imposed limits. **In simple terms:** Conscience is a strict inner judge. Key Takeaway Listen to inner criticism, but balance it. Themes self‑discipline morality inner conflict Mood reflective serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - making decisions - personal growth - overcoming guilt - self‑assessment Key Concepts psychology ethical self‑regulation Questions to Reflect On - How does your conscience help vs hinder you? - What standards do you set for yourself? A Different Perspective Overly harsh self‑judgment can paralyze action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Exacting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exacting-1551208/) [Exacting Jailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exacting-jailer-1680825/) [Jailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jailer/) [Jailer Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jailer-conscience-1680824/) ## Related quotes > [I know I have exacting standards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-knight/i-know-i-have-exacting-standards/) [Travis Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-knight/) > [“Perfect specimens for an exacting science...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-e-meredith/perfect-specimens-for-an-exacting-science/) [D.E. Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-e-meredith/) > [No man shall be more exacting of me or my conduct than I am of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-g-maeser/no-man-shall-be-more-exacting-of-me-or-my-conduct-than-i-am-of-myself/) [Karl G. Maeser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-g-maeser/) > [I write because, exacting as it may be to do so, it is still more difficult to refrain, and because - however conscious of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-origo/i-write-because-exacting-as-it-may-be-to-do-so-it-is-still-more/) [Iris Origo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-origo/) > [I cannot be exacting because I respect myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/i-cannot-be-exacting-because-i-respect-myself/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) > [Americans are given the sole option of electing their jailer for four years and sometimes do him the honour of re-electing him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/americans-are-given-the-sole-option-of-electing-their-jailer-for-four/) [Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/) > [Ah," said the jailer, "do not always brood over what is impossible, or you will be mad in a fortnight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/ah-said-the-jailer-do-not-always-brood-over-what-is-impossible-or-you/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [Cage of freedom, that's our prison; we're the jailer and captive combined Cage of freedom, cast in power; all the trappings of our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-anderson/cage-of-freedom-that-s-our-prison-we-re-the-jailer-and-captive/) [Jon Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-anderson/) > [Priests, kings, statesmen, soldiers, bankers and public functionaries of all sorts; policemen, jailers and hangmen; capitalists, usurers, businessmen and property-owners; lawyers, economists and politicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/priests-kings-statesmen-soldiers-bankers-and-public-functionaries-of/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [“I never said you were supposed to be a jailer, i only said a normal person would have questioned why someone would create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janette-rallison/i-never-said-you-were-supposed-to-be-a-jailer-i-only-said-a-normal/) [Janette Rallison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janette-rallison/) > [“She was prisoner to an old, forgotten god, kept from her home, probably never to see it again, and yet... the way she sat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-diemer/she-was-prisoner-to-an-old-forgotten-god-kept-from-her-home-probably/) [Sarah Diemer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-diemer/) > [I think filmmaking should be a wonderfully free collaborative process, and it so very rarely is. I often see directors as jailers of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/i-think-filmmaking-should-be-a-wonderfully-free-collaborative-process/) [Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/) > [I like to think of myself as a 'Mord the jailer' type.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-weiss/i-like-to-think-of-myself-as-a-mord-the-jailer-type/) [D. B. Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-weiss/) > [Church membership was so important that Paul and Silas baptized the Philippian jailer into the membership of Christ's church at midnight with Paul's back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-adams/church-membership-was-so-important-that-paul-and-silas-baptized-the/) [Jay Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-adams/) > [“A prisoner is imprisoned by the crime that he has committed. A jailer is imprisoned — in the very same prison — by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-prisoner-is-imprisoned-by-the-crime-that-he-has-committed-a-jailer/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) ## More by Jean Antoine Petit-Senn > [What we gain by experience is not worth that we lose in illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/what-we-gain-by-experience-is-not-worth-that-we-lose-in-illusion/) [Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) > [In giving alms, let us rather look at the needs of the poor than his claim to your charity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/in-giving-alms-let-us-rather-look-at-the-needs-of-the-poor-than-his/) [Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) > [The wonderful fortune of some writers deludes and leads to misery a great number of young people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/the-wonderful-fortune-of-some-writers-deludes-and-leads-to-misery-a/) [Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) > [The wisest man may always learn something from the humblest peasant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/the-wisest-man-may-always-learn-something-from-the-humblest-peasant/) [Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) > [It is not what we have but what we enjoy that constitutes our abundance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/it-is-not-what-we-have-but-what-we-enjoy-that-constitutes-our/) [Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) > [Religion is the hospital of the souls that the world has wounded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/religion-is-the-hospital-of-the-souls-that-the-world-has-wounded/) [Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) > [The weak-minded man is the slave of his vices and the dupe of his virtues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/the-weak-minded-man-is-the-slave-of-his-vices-and-the-dupe-of-his/) [Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) > [Perfect servants would be the worst of all for certain masters, whose happiness consists in finding fault with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/perfect-servants-would-be-the-worst-of-all-for-certain-masters-whose/) [Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) > [The happiness of the tender heart is increased by what it can take away from the wretchedness of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/the-happiness-of-the-tender-heart-is-increased-by-what-it-can-take/) [Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) > [That experience which does not make us better makes us worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/that-experience-which-does-not-make-us-better-makes-us-worse/) [Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) > [To endeavor to move by the same discourse hearers who differ in age, sex, position and education is to attempt to open all locks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/to-endeavor-to-move-by-the-same-discourse-hearers-who-differ-in-age/) [Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) > [It is only before those who are glad to hear it, and anxious to spread it, that we find it easy to speak ill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/it-is-only-before-those-who-are-glad-to-hear-it-and-anxious-to-spread/) [Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) > [It requires less character to discover the faults of others, than to tolerate them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/it-requires-less-character-to-discover-the-faults-of-others-than-to/) [Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) > [In a better world we will find our young years and our old friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/in-a-better-world-we-will-find-our-young-years-and-our-old-friends/) [Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) > [A pedant holds more to instruct us with what he knows, than of what we are ignorant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/a-pedant-holds-more-to-instruct-us-with-what-he-knows-than-of-what-we/) [Jean Antoine Petit-Senn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) [Explore all 71 Jean Antoine Petit-Senn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/) ## More Conscience quotes > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [“Knowledge without conscience is but the ruin of the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabelaise/knowledge-without-conscience-is-but-the-ruin-of-the-soul/) [Rabelaise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabelaise/) > [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) > [Let us be thankful for health and competence, and, above all, for a quiet conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/let-us-be-thankful-for-health-and-competence-and-above-all-for-a/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [Making money doesn't oblige people to forfeit their honor or their conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-rothschild/making-money-doesn-t-oblige-people-to-forfeit-their-honor-or-their/) [Guy de Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-rothschild/) > [“If we cannot be happy and powerful and prey on others, we invent conscience and prey on ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/if-we-cannot-be-happy-and-powerful-and-prey-on-others-we-invent/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [The God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand one day a book of Martin Luthers; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-god-in-whose-hands-are-all-our-days-and-ways-did-cast-into-my/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [My morals are important to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-parrish/my-morals-are-important-to-me/) [Hunter Parrish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-parrish/) > [Being tolerant does not mean that I share another ones belief. But it does mean that I acknowledge another ones right to believe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/being-tolerant-does-not-mean-that-i-share-another-ones-belief-but-it/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [Never can true courage dwell with them, Who, playing tricks with conscience, dare not look At their own vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/never-can-true-courage-dwell-with-them-who-playing-tricks-with/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [I've worked with people who are much further to the left than I am and much further to the right than I am. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/i-ve-worked-with-people-who-are-much-further-to-the-left-than-i-am/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [If all the world hated you and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved of you and absolved you from guilt, you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-all-the-world-hated-you-and-believed-you-wicked-while-your-own/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [ \[D\]on't grow old. With age comes caution, which is another name for cowardice… Whatever else you do in life, don't cultivate a conscience. Without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesketh-pearson/d-on-t-grow-old-with-age-comes-caution-which-is-another-name-for/) [Hesketh Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesketh-pearson/) [Browse all 3,490 Conscience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The most exacting jailer is our own conscience.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean Antoine Petit-Senn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/the-most-exacting-jailer-is-our-own-conscience/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conscience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/the-most-exacting-jailer-is-our-own-conscience/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/jean-antoine-petit-senn-9591_conscience_the-most-exacting-jailer-is-our-own-cons_2569923.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/jean-antoine-petit-senn-9591_conscience_the-most-exacting-jailer-is-our-own-cons_2569923.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/jean-antoine-petit-senn-9591_conscience_the-most-exacting-jailer-is-our-own-cons_2569923.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The most exacting jailer is our own conscience.” — Jean Antoine Petit-Senn", "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": "Jean Antoine Petit-Senn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-antoine-petit-senn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The most exacting jailer is our...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/the-most-exacting-jailer-is-our-own-conscience/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-antoine-petit-senn/the-most-exacting-jailer-is-our-own-conscience/#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 } } ] } ```