--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I didn't mind the 23 hours a day solitary…" description: "\"I didn't mind the 23 hours a day solitary confinement for the majority of the time, because after the first few years in prison, when I stopped being a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/nick-yarris-20261_day_i-didn-t-mind-the-23-hours-a-day-solitar_2045872.jpg" --- # I didn't mind the 23 hours a day solitary confinement for… ![“I didn't mind the 23 hours a day solitary confinement for the majority of the time, because after the first few years in prison, when I stopped being angry and started to like myself and understand myself, it was OK. I still enjoy my own company sometimes.” quote by Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/nick-yarris-20261_day_i-didn-t-mind-the-23-hours-a-day-solitar_2045872.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/nick-yarris-20261_day_i-didn-t-mind-the-23-hours-a-day-solitar_2045872.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae1/nick-yarris-20261_day_i-didn-t-mind-the-23-hours-a-day-solitar_2045872.jpg) > “I didn't mind the 23 hours a day solitary confinement for the majority of the time, because after the first few years in prison, when I stopped being angry and started to like myself and understand myself, it was OK. I still enjoy my own company sometimes.” [Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He learned to accept solitary confinement by finding inner peace and self‑acceptance after anger faded. **In simple terms:** Self‑acceptance made isolation bearable. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner peace in harsh conditions. Themes self‑acceptance solitary confinement personal growth Mood reflective calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - prison life - loneliness - self‑reflection - mental health Key Concepts psychology resilience mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How can you foster self‑acceptance during hardship? - What practices help transform anger into understanding? A Different Perspective Self‑acceptance may not erase all suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confinement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confinement/) [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Solitary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitary/) [Solitary confinement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitary-confinement/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Understand Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-myself/) ## Related quotes > [Something in our nature cries out to be loved by another. Isolation is devastating to the human psyche. That is why solitary confinement is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/something-in-our-nature-cries-out-to-be-loved-by-another-isolation-is/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [Silence comes in two varieties: One that nourishes and comforts; another that chokes, smothers, and isolates. Solitary confinement is the worst kind of imprisonment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/silence-comes-in-two-varieties-one-that-nourishes-and-comforts/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [He could have had his choice of any woman in the district. And he chose solitude. Not solitude – that sounds too peaceful. More…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/he-could-have-had-his-choice-of-any-woman-in-the-district-and-he/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“We are relational creatures. All humans live in community and most people seek social interaction. In western culture, isolation is seen as one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/we-are-relational-creatures-all-humans-live-in-community-and-most/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [How many persons condemned to the horrors of solitary confinement have gone mad - simply because the thinking faculties have lain dormant!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/how-many-persons-condemned-to-the-horrors-of-solitary-confinement/) [Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/) > [I would like to start a discussion about ending solitary confinement. I'd like to start a discussion about the removal of MO wings -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/i-would-like-to-start-a-discussion-about-ending-solitary-confinement/) [Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/) > [There is about as much educational benefit to be gained in studying dolphins in captivity as there would be studying mankind by only observing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-yves-cousteau/there-is-about-as-much-educational-benefit-to-be-gained-in-studying/) [Jacques Yves Cousteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-yves-cousteau/) > [ “\[Solitary confinement\] is terrible. That is terrible. You're in a grave. You can't do anything. Everything's brought to you and you're in a room… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-sweeney/solitary-confinement-is-terrible-that-is-terrible-you-re-in-a-grave/) Megan Sweeney > [We are all sentenced to solitary confinement inside our own skins, for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/we-are-all-sentenced-to-solitary-confinement-inside-our-own-skins-for/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [I found solitary confinement the most forbidding aspect of prison life. There is no end and no beginning; there is only one's mind, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-found-solitary-confinement-the-most-forbidding-aspect-of-prison/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [If you ever meet someone who cannot understand why solitary confinement is considered punishment, you have met a misanthrope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/if-you-ever-meet-someone-who-cannot-understand-why-solitary/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [As we have seen, WikiLeaks is a robust organization. During my time in solitary confinement in the basement of a Victorian prison, we continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/as-we-have-seen-wikileaks-is-a-robust-organization-during-my-time-in/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [People aren't wired to be alone. Even in the stressful population of prison, solitary confinement is still considered a cruel punishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/people-aren-t-wired-to-be-alone-even-in-the-stressful-population-of/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [Each man is his own prisoner, in solitary confinement for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/each-man-is-his-own-prisoner-in-solitary-confinement-for-life/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Most of them were murderers. But when I went there to talk, they were the nicest people. I did a reading. I said, "Thank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/most-of-them-were-murderers-but-when-i-went-there-to-talk-they-were/) [Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/) ## More by Nick Yarris > [It is really difficult to read a movie script about yourself and to think that a major actor - perhaps even Chris Pine -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yarris/it-is-really-difficult-to-read-a-movie-script-about-yourself-and-to/) [Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) > [In death row every rule in society is flipped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yarris/in-death-row-every-rule-in-society-is-flipped/) [Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) > [I genuinely believe that being on death row for 22 years ultimately saved my life. It was the greatest adventure of my life, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yarris/i-genuinely-believe-that-being-on-death-row-for-22-years-ultimately/) [Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) > [My sentence formally was imposed on my mothers 50th Birthday January 24th 1983. The jury recommended it July 1st 1982.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yarris/my-sentence-formally-was-imposed-on-my-mothers-50th-birthday-january/) [Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) > [The whole purpose of my education ultimately was so I could deliver a statement eloquently before my execution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yarris/the-whole-purpose-of-my-education-ultimately-was-so-i-could-deliver-a/) [Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) > [Here's the crazy thing: if I was guilty I would be entitled to job training, housing, medical treatment. But I have nothing. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yarris/here-s-the-crazy-thing-if-i-was-guilty-i-would-be-entitled-to-job/) [Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) > [Everyone seems to be rushing through their lives, wishing they had just two minutes to do all the things they want to get gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yarris/everyone-seems-to-be-rushing-through-their-lives-wishing-they-had/) [Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) > [Death row saved my life. It taught me everything is a luxury to be treasured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yarris/death-row-saved-my-life-it-taught-me-everything-is-a-luxury-to-be/) [Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) > [I believe life imprisonment is far worse than the death penalty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yarris/i-believe-life-imprisonment-is-far-worse-than-the-death-penalty/) [Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) > [They put me in solitary confinement, and although I went on to do 8,755 days of solitary in total, the first two were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yarris/they-put-me-in-solitary-confinement-and-although-i-went-on-to-do-8/) [Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) > [I used music and reading to erase my world, so basically I read for up to 16 hours a day for 23 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yarris/i-used-music-and-reading-to-erase-my-world-so-basically-i-read-for-up/) [Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) > [The hardest thing to do when people are hurting you is to remain a decent person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yarris/the-hardest-thing-to-do-when-people-are-hurting-you-is-to-remain-a/) [Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) > [I was 20 when I was sentenced to death. My life had been on a one-way path to self-destruction for years. I don't remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yarris/i-was-20-when-i-was-sentenced-to-death-my-life-had-been-on-a-one-way/) [Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) > [I had an enormous responsibility not just to survive but to become a good man because I had all of my family's hopes on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yarris/i-had-an-enormous-responsibility-not-just-to-survive-but-to-become-a/) [Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) > [I used to dream about being able to sit at a table with another human being, have a normal conversation, and have a meal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yarris/i-used-to-dream-about-being-able-to-sit-at-a-table-with-another-human/) [Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) [Explore all 31 Nick Yarris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) ## More Confinement quotes > [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [The novel is the dream release, the suspension of reality that history needs to escape its own brutal confinements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-novel-is-the-dream-release-the-suspension-of-reality-that-history/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [Something in our nature cries out to be loved by another. Isolation is devastating to the human psyche. That is why solitary confinement is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/something-in-our-nature-cries-out-to-be-loved-by-another-isolation-is/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [The premise of Kiss has always been to not live within the confinements and boundaries other people set for themselves. We set our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-stanley/the-premise-of-kiss-has-always-been-to-not-live-within-the/) [Paul Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-stanley/) > [Each man is his own prisoner, in solitary confinement for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/each-man-is-his-own-prisoner-in-solitary-confinement-for-life/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [ “The \[human\] animal cannot cope with \[dense confinement\]; indeed, it is programmed to resist it. It must resist it, in the interest of survival.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-livingston-from-rogue-primate-an-investigation-into-human-domestication/the-human-animal-cannot-cope-with-dense-confinement-indeed-it-is/) John Livingston, from "Rogue Primate: An Investigation Into Human Domestication > [People aren't wired to be alone. Even in the stressful population of prison, solitary confinement is still considered a cruel punishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/people-aren-t-wired-to-be-alone-even-in-the-stressful-population-of/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [The secret to responsible trust is acceptance. Acceptance is taking from God's hand absolutely anything He gives, looking into His face in trust and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/the-secret-to-responsible-trust-is-acceptance-acceptance-is-taking/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [ During this period (of technological confinement / \[and language\]) the human mind has been placed in its narrowest confines it has experienced since consciousness… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/during-this-period-of-technological-confinement-and-language-the/) [Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/) > [As we have seen, WikiLeaks is a robust organization. During my time in solitary confinement in the basement of a Victorian prison, we continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/as-we-have-seen-wikileaks-is-a-robust-organization-during-my-time-in/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Needle and thread flesh and bone Spit and sinew, heartbreak is home. Your suture lines, they sparkle like diamonds Bright stars to light my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/needle-and-thread-flesh-and-bone-spit-and-sinew-heartbreak-is-home/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [If you ever meet someone who cannot understand why solitary confinement is considered punishment, you have met a misanthrope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/if-you-ever-meet-someone-who-cannot-understand-why-solitary/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [Even painless research is fascism, supremacism, because the act of confinement is traumatizing in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/even-painless-research-is-fascism-supremacism-because-the-act-of/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [In relating the circumstances which have led to my confinement within this refuge for the demented, I am aware that my present position will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/in-relating-the-circumstances-which-have-led-to-my-confinement-within/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [“...bars can't build better men and misery can only break what goodness remains.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-turton/bars-can-t-build-better-men-and-misery-can-only-break-what-goodness/) Stuart Turton [Browse all 121 Confinement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confinement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I didn't mind the 23 hours a day solitary confinement for the majority of the time, because after the first few years in prison, when I stopped being angry and started to like myself and understand myself, it was OK. 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