---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The hours I would spend in the prison…"
description: "\"“The hours I would spend in the prison visiting room were among the most comforting of my life. They sped by, the only occasion at the Camp in which ti..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/piper-kerman-8613_comforting_the-hours-i-would-spend-in-the-prison-vi_707610.png"
---

#  The hours I would spend in the prison visiting room were…

![“The hours I would spend in the prison visiting room were among the most comforting of my life. They sped by, the only occasion at the Camp in which time seemed to move quickly. I could completely forget about the human stew that lay on the other side of the visiting room doors, and I carried that…” quote by Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/piper-kerman-8613_comforting_the-hours-i-would-spend-in-the-prison-vi_707610.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/piper-kerman-8613_comforting_the-hours-i-would-spend-in-the-prison-vi_707610.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/piper-kerman-8613_comforting_the-hours-i-would-spend-in-the-prison-vi_707610.png)

> ““The hours I would spend in the prison visiting room were among the most comforting of my life. They sped by, the only occasion at the Camp in which time seemed to move quickly. I could completely forget about the human stew that lay on the other side of the visiting room doors, and I carried that feeling with me for many hours after each visit was over.””

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Visiting a prison inmate provided rare comfort and a sense of normalcy, allowing temporary escape from the harsh environment.

**In simple terms:** Prison visits gave brief relief and normal feeling.

Key Takeaway

Seek moments of calm in difficult settings.

Themes

comfort escape human connection resilience

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

personal reflective

When to use this quote

- prison visits
- stressful work
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

psychology coping mechanisms humanity

Questions to Reflect On

- How do brief comforts affect long‑term wellbeing?
- Can such moments be cultivated elsewhere?

A Different Perspective

Limited to brief intervals; cannot change overall conditions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Comforting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comforting/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/)

## Related quotes

> [“Prison is quite literally a ghetto in the most classic sense of the world, a place where the U.S. government now puts not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/prison-is-quite-literally-a-ghetto-in-the-most-classic-sense-of-the/)

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

> [“We have a racially based justice system that overpunishes, fails to rehabilitate, and doesn't make us safer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/we-have-a-racially-based-justice-system-that-overpunishes-fails-to/)

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

> [“Soeur Marie Emelie" Soeur Marie Emelie is little and very old: her eyes are onyx, and her cheeks vermilion, her apron wide and kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caryll-houselander/soeur-marie-emelie-soeur-marie-emelie-is-little-and-very-old-her-eyes/)

[Caryll Houselander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caryll-houselander/)

> [The search for God is a reversal of the normal, mundane worldly order. In search for God, you revert from what attracts you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/the-search-for-god-is-a-reversal-of-the-normal-mundane-worldly-order/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [The person in misery does not need a look that judges and criticizes but a comforting presence that brings peace and hope and life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/the-person-in-misery-does-not-need-a-look-that-judges-and-criticizes/)

[Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/)

> [The upshot here is that Gil Scott-Heron is still a warrior, even if the front lines have moved. He's made a record not without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hermes/the-upshot-here-is-that-gil-scott-heron-is-still-a-warrior-even-if/)

[Will Hermes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hermes/)

> [I've been sent down to the minor leagues six or seven times in my career. You've just got to have that stability. It's huge.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-diaz/i-ve-been-sent-down-to-the-minor-leagues-six-or-seven-times-in-my/)

[Matt Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-diaz/)

> [Truth is often uncomfortable. It is only comforting to those who do not wish to ignore it. Then, truth becomes not only comforting, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/truth-is-often-uncomfortable-it-is-only-comforting-to-those-who-do/)

[Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/)

> [At first, I had such stage fright, and it was always comforting to look over and see my big brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-spielberg/at-first-i-had-such-stage-fright-and-it-was-always-comforting-to-look/)

[Sasha Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-spielberg/)

> [Euthanasia" is an excellent and comforting word! I am grateful to whoever invented it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/euthanasia-is-an-excellent-and-comforting-word-i-am-grateful-to/)

[Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/)

> [“Reth reached out and took my fingers in his own, his touch light but comforting. “I’ve found that sacrifice is called that for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/reth-reached-out-and-took-my-fingers-in-his-own-his-touch-light-but/)

[Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/)

> [Soothing touch, whether it be applied to a ruffled cat, a crying infant, or a frightened child, has a universally recognized power to ameliorate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deane-juhan/soothing-touch-whether-it-be-applied-to-a-ruffled-cat-a-crying-infant/)

[Deane Juhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deane-juhan/)

> [“Because the truth wouldn't be comforting and wouldn't bring them closer again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/because-the-truth-wouldn-t-be-comforting-and-wouldn-t-bring-them/)

[Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/)

> [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“When you get lost in a really strange place, nothing is more comforting than found your friend whom you trust and can show the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-get-lost-in-a-really-strange-place-nothing-is-more/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

## More by Piper Kerman

> [“I looked down at the doors of the forbidden Dorms and studiously examined the bulletin boards covered with incomprehensible information about events and rules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/i-looked-down-at-the-doors-of-the-forbidden-dorms-and-studiously/)

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

> [“Stoicism sure comes in handy when they take away your underpants. But how to reconcile it with one's insatiable need for other people?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/stoicism-sure-comes-in-handy-when-they-take-away-your-underpants-but/)

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

> [“Some of the mothers looked overwhelmed - they were no longer accustomed to supervising their own kids in a normal, day-to-day way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/some-of-the-mothers-looked-overwhelmed-they-were-no-longer-accustomed/)

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

> [“The female guard in R&amp;D explained that they had no women's street clothes, so she gave me the smallest pair of men's jeans they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/the-female-guard-in-r-d-explained-that-they-had-no-women-s-street/)

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

> [“I had forgotten about the pleasures of college radio, the exquisite randomness of what got played, the twenty-minute between-songs banter of nineteen-year-olds, the smack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/i-had-forgotten-about-the-pleasures-of-college-radio-the-exquisite/)

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

> [“I had long recognized that faith helped people understand their relationship to their community. In the best cases it helped women in Danbury focus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/i-had-long-recognized-that-faith-helped-people-understand-their/)

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

> [“We have a racially based justice system that overpunishes, fails to rehabilitate, and doesn't make us safer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/we-have-a-racially-based-justice-system-that-overpunishes-fails-to/)

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

> [“If he is a half-decent human being, he will find himself the object of crushes. If he is a cocky bastard, even more so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/if-he-is-a-half-decent-human-being-he-will-find-himself-the-object-of/)

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

> [“If you had the misfortune of having the government intimately involved with your life, whether via public housing or Medicaid or food stamps, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/if-you-had-the-misfortune-of-having-the-government-intimately/)

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

> [“Prison is quite literally a ghetto in the most classic sense of the world, a place where the U.S. government now puts not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/prison-is-quite-literally-a-ghetto-in-the-most-classic-sense-of-the/)

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

> [“He told us that it was important to eat right, exercise, and treat your body as a temple. But he didn't tell us how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/he-told-us-that-it-was-important-to-eat-right-exercise-and-treat-your/)

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

> [“According to the CDC, cigarettes kill over 435,000 people a year in the United States. Most of us in Danbury were locked away for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/according-to-the-cdc-cigarettes-kill-over-435-000-people-a-year-in/)

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

> [“The public expects sentences to be punitive but also rehabilitative; however, what we expect and what we get from our prisons are very different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/the-public-expects-sentences-to-be-punitive-but-also-rehabilitative/)

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

> [“Nothing about the daily workings of the prison system focuses its inhabitants’ attention on what life back on the outside, as a free citizen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/nothing-about-the-daily-workings-of-the-prison-system-focuses-its/)

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

> [“According to Bertrand Russell, the virtuous stoic was one whose will was in agreement with the natural order. He described the basic idea like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/according-to-bertrand-russell-the-virtuous-stoic-was-one-whose-will/)

[Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

[Explore all 78 Piper Kerman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/)

## More Comforting quotes

> [“When you get lost in a really strange place, nothing is more comforting than found your friend whom you trust and can show the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-get-lost-in-a-really-strange-place-nothing-is-more/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Because the truth wouldn't be comforting and wouldn't bring them closer again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/because-the-truth-wouldn-t-be-comforting-and-wouldn-t-bring-them/)

[Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/)

> [Soothing touch, whether it be applied to a ruffled cat, a crying infant, or a frightened child, has a universally recognized power to ameliorate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deane-juhan/soothing-touch-whether-it-be-applied-to-a-ruffled-cat-a-crying-infant/)

[Deane Juhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deane-juhan/)

> [“Reth reached out and took my fingers in his own, his touch light but comforting. “I’ve found that sacrifice is called that for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/reth-reached-out-and-took-my-fingers-in-his-own-his-touch-light-but/)

[Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/)

> [Euthanasia" is an excellent and comforting word! I am grateful to whoever invented it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/euthanasia-is-an-excellent-and-comforting-word-i-am-grateful-to/)

[Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/)

> [At first, I had such stage fright, and it was always comforting to look over and see my big brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-spielberg/at-first-i-had-such-stage-fright-and-it-was-always-comforting-to-look/)

[Sasha Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-spielberg/)

> [Truth is often uncomfortable. It is only comforting to those who do not wish to ignore it. Then, truth becomes not only comforting, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/truth-is-often-uncomfortable-it-is-only-comforting-to-those-who-do/)

[Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/)

> [I've been sent down to the minor leagues six or seven times in my career. You've just got to have that stability. It's huge.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-diaz/i-ve-been-sent-down-to-the-minor-leagues-six-or-seven-times-in-my/)

[Matt Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-diaz/)

> [The upshot here is that Gil Scott-Heron is still a warrior, even if the front lines have moved. He's made a record not without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hermes/the-upshot-here-is-that-gil-scott-heron-is-still-a-warrior-even-if/)

[Will Hermes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hermes/)

> [The person in misery does not need a look that judges and criticizes but a comforting presence that brings peace and hope and life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/the-person-in-misery-does-not-need-a-look-that-judges-and-criticizes/)

[Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/)

> [The search for God is a reversal of the normal, mundane worldly order. In search for God, you revert from what attracts you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/the-search-for-god-is-a-reversal-of-the-normal-mundane-worldly-order/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [“Soeur Marie Emelie" Soeur Marie Emelie is little and very old: her eyes are onyx, and her cheeks vermilion, her apron wide and kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caryll-houselander/soeur-marie-emelie-soeur-marie-emelie-is-little-and-very-old-her-eyes/)

[Caryll Houselander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caryll-houselander/)

> [I just found it interesting to talk to adults I admired, and to discover that the path they took was never all that clearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anderson-cooper/i-just-found-it-interesting-to-talk-to-adults-i-admired-and-to/)

[Anderson Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anderson-cooper/)

> [What is this Charity, this clinking of money between strangers, and when did Charity cease to be a comforting and secret thing between one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-benson/what-is-this-charity-this-clinking-of-money-between-strangers-and/)

[Stella Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-benson/)

[Browse all 697 Comforting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comforting/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The hours I would spend in the prison visiting room were among the most comforting of my life. They sped by, the only occasion at the Camp in which time seemed to move quickly. I could completely forget about the human stew that lay on the other side of the visiting room doors, and I carried that feeling with me for many hours after each visit was over.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Piper Kerman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/the-hours-i-would-spend-in-the-prison-visiting-room-were-among-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Comforting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/the-hours-i-would-spend-in-the-prison-visiting-room-were-among-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/piper-kerman-8613_comforting_the-hours-i-would-spend-in-the-prison-vi_707610.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/piper-kerman-8613_comforting_the-hours-i-would-spend-in-the-prison-vi_707610.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6e/piper-kerman-8613_comforting_the-hours-i-would-spend-in-the-prison-vi_707610.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The hours I would spend in the prison visiting room were among the most comforting of my life. They sped by…” — Piper Kerman",
                "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": "Piper Kerman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The hours I would spend in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/the-hours-i-would-spend-in-the-prison-visiting-room-were-among-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/the-hours-i-would-spend-in-the-prison-visiting-room-were-among-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
