--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A prison wall was round us both, Two…" description: "\"“A prison wall was round us both, Two outcast men we were: The world had thrust us from its heart, And God from out His care: And the iron gin that wai..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/oscar-wilde-16_quote_a-prison-wall-was-round-us-both-two-outc_1691323.jpg" --- # A prison wall was round us both, Two outcast men we were… ![“A prison wall was round us both, Two outcast men we were: The world had thrust us from its heart, And God from out His care: And the iron gin that waits for Sin Had caught us in its snare.” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/oscar-wilde-16_quote_a-prison-wall-was-round-us-both-two-outc_1691323.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/oscar-wilde-16_quote_a-prison-wall-was-round-us-both-two-outc_1691323.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/oscar-wilde-16_quote_a-prison-wall-was-round-us-both-two-outc_1691323.jpg) > ““A prison wall was round us both, Two outcast men we were: The world had thrust us from its heart, And God from out His care: And the iron gin that waits for Sin Had caught us in its snare.”” [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Two outcasts feel trapped by societal and divine abandonment, likening it to a prison. **In simple terms:** Outcasts feel trapped by society and God. Key Takeaway Acknowledge feelings of isolation. Themes poetry alienation spirituality Mood melancholic thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - literary analysis - therapy sessions - support groups Key Concepts existential dread social exile Questions to Reflect On - What walls imprison you? - Can empathy break the iron gin? A Different Perspective Interpretations may differ on religious references. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Outcast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outcast/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) ## Related quotes > [“For his mourners will be outcast men And outcasts always mourn...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/for-his-mourners-will-be-outcast-men-and-outcasts-always-mourn/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“I grabbed my shaft at the base and stroked. “Want me?” “You know I do.” Sin leaned forward. “How much?” I wiggled my cock.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cox/i-grabbed-my-shaft-at-the-base-and-stroked-want-me-you-know-i-do-sin/) [James Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cox/) > [Become the sky. Take an axe to the prison wall. Escape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/become-the-sky-take-an-axe-to-the-prison-wall-escape/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [Your way begins at the other side. Become the sky. Take an axe to the prison wall. Escape. Walk out like someone suddenly born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/your-way-begins-at-the-other-side-become-the-sky-take-an-axe-to-the/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [Oh, it is easy for the one who stands outside the prison-wall of pain to exhort and teach the one who suffers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/oh-it-is-easy-for-the-one-who-stands-outside-the-prison-wall-of-pain/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [“You couldn't have caused more excitement if you'd thrown a slut over a prison wall.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-lamoreux/you-couldn-t-have-caused-more-excitement-if-you-d-thrown-a-slut-over/) Doug Lamoreux > [The difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion is the thickness of a prison wall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-healey/the-difference-between-tax-avoidance-and-tax-evasion-is-the-thickness/) [Denis Healey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-healey/) > [Most men in a brazen prison live, Where, in the sun's hot eye, With heads bent o'er their toil, they languidly Their lives to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/most-men-in-a-brazen-prison-live-where-in-the-sun-s-hot-eye-with/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [“PROMETHEUS: 'Oh, it is easy for the one who stands outside the prison-wall of pain to exhort and teach the one who suffers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/prometheus-oh-it-is-easy-for-the-one-who-stands-outside-the-prison/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [“Into this new love, die your way begins on the other side become the sky take an axe to the prison wall, escape walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jelalludin-rumi/into-this-new-love-die-your-way-begins-on-the-other-side-become-the/) Jelalludin Rumi > [I think coming out, for me, is really about tearing down the prison wall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gant/i-think-coming-out-for-me-is-really-about-tearing-down-the-prison-wall/) [Robert Gant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gant/) > [And alien tears will fill for him pity's long broken urn. For his mourners will all be outcast men, and outcasts always mourn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/and-alien-tears-will-fill-for-him-pity-s-long-broken-urn-for-his/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Outcasts always mourn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/outcasts-always-mourn/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“When first I was put into prison some people advised me to try and forget who I was. It was ruinous advice. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/when-first-i-was-put-into-prison-some-people-advised-me-to-try-and/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [...The two great turning-points of my life were when my father sent to Oxford, and when society sent me to prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-two-great-turning-points-of-my-life-were-when-my-father-sent-to/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## More by Oscar Wilde > [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-books-that-the-world-calls-immoral-are-the-books-that-show-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men should be happier than others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/bachelors-should-be-heavily-taxed-it-is-not-fair-that-some-men-should/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Who, being loved, is poor?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/who-being-loved-is-poor/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Basil my dear boy puts everything that is charming in him into his work. The consequence is that he has nothing left for life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/basil-my-dear-boy-puts-everything-that-is-charming-in-him-into-his/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Anybody can be good in the country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/anybody-can-be-good-in-the-country/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I don't at all like knowing what people say of me behind my back. It makes me far too conceited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-don-t-at-all-like-knowing-what-people-say-of-me-behind-my-back-it/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Alles Populäre ist falsch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/alles-popul-re-ist-falsch/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“If these elements of beauty are real, the whole thing simply appeals to our sense of dramatic effect. Suddenly we find that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/if-these-elements-of-beauty-are-real-the-whole-thing-simply-appeals/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [To love one's self is the beginning of a life-long romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-love-one-s-self-is-the-beginning-of-a-life-long-romance/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/those-who-find-beautiful-meanings-in-beautiful-things-are-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Men always want to be a womans first love. Women have a more subtle instinct: What they like is to be a mans last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/men-always-want-to-be-a-womans-first-love-women-have-a-more-subtle/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Why is it that at a bachelor's establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/why-is-it-that-at-a-bachelor-s-establishment-the-servants-invariably/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Moderation is a fatal thing. Enough is as bad as a meal. More than enough is as good as a feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/moderation-is-a-fatal-thing-enough-is-as-bad-as-a-meal-more-than/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, creeds follow one another, but what is beautiful is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/beauty-is-the-only-thing-that-time-cannot-harm-philosophies-fall-away/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) [Explore all 3,343 Oscar Wilde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## More Outcast quotes > [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/my-days-the-blossom-of-my-youth-and-the-flower-of-my-manhood-have/) [Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [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/) > [In other countries, it's a common thing to have outcast children running around the streets in packs, and I don't think we're so far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-spheeris/in-other-countries-it-s-a-common-thing-to-have-outcast-children/) [Penelope Spheeris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-spheeris/) > [You're an outcast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinedown/you-re-an-outcast/) [Shinedown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinedown/) > [You can be the outcast or be the backlash of somebody's lack of love. Or you can start speaking up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-bareilles/you-can-be-the-outcast-or-be-the-backlash-of-somebody-s-lack-of-love/) [Sara Bareilles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-bareilles/) > [In my early teens, science fiction and fantasy had an almost-total hold over my imagination. Their outcast status was part of their appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/in-my-early-teens-science-fiction-and-fantasy-had-an-almost-total/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [“Every great philosopher, in their own way, questioned the fundamental assumptions that were present in the thinking of their time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-west/every-great-philosopher-in-their-own-way-questioned-the-fundamental/) Steven West > [I can't say that I ever abided nerd stereotypes: I was never alone or felt outcast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/i-can-t-say-that-i-ever-abided-nerd-stereotypes-i-was-never-alone-or/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [Hannah Tinti writes with uncommon grace and stunning insight. Her quirky tribe of outcasts will break into your dreams and steal your spirit. Surrender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-rae-thon/hannah-tinti-writes-with-uncommon-grace-and-stunning-insight-her/) Melanie Rae Thon > [I began to see myself as someone who can help others understand diversity rather than feeling like a social outcast. Ellen taught me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-de-rossi/i-began-to-see-myself-as-someone-who-can-help-others-understand/) [Portia de Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-de-rossi/) > [It is because Jesus Christ experienced cosmic thirst on the cross that you and I can have our spiritual thirst satisfied. It is because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/it-is-because-jesus-christ-experienced-cosmic-thirst-on-the-cross/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [This is what God's kingdom is like: a bunch of outcasts and oddballs gathered at a table, not because they are rich or worthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/this-is-what-god-s-kingdom-is-like-a-bunch-of-outcasts-and-oddballs/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“As an oracle to the goddess, the female outcast speaks as prophetess of times to come, interpreter of dreams of an unrevealed future. Outcasts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-farr/as-an-oracle-to-the-goddess-the-female-outcast-speaks-as-prophetess/) Florence Farr > [I always feel like an outcast... it's just always been very different to everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paige-spiranac/i-always-feel-like-an-outcast-it-s-just-always-been-very-different-to/) [Paige Spiranac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paige-spiranac/) [Browse all 281 Outcast quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outcast/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A prison wall was round us both, Two outcast men we were: The world had thrust us from its heart, And God from out His care: And the iron gin that waits for Sin Had caught us in its snare.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oscar Wilde" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/a-prison-wall-was-round-us-both-two-outcast-men-we-were-the-world-had/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Outcast" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/a-prison-wall-was-round-us-both-two-outcast-men-we-were-the-world-had/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/oscar-wilde-16_quote_a-prison-wall-was-round-us-both-two-outc_1691323.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/oscar-wilde-16_quote_a-prison-wall-was-round-us-both-two-outc_1691323.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/oscar-wilde-16_quote_a-prison-wall-was-round-us-both-two-outc_1691323.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A prison wall was round us both, Two outcast men we were: The world had thrust us from its heart, And God…” — Oscar Wilde", "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": "Oscar Wilde", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A prison wall was round us...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/a-prison-wall-was-round-us-both-two-outcast-men-we-were-the-world-had/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/a-prison-wall-was-round-us-both-two-outcast-men-we-were-the-world-had/#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 } } ] } ```