Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind then that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; and while there is a criminal element, I am of it; and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker identifies with all oppressed and imprisoned people, rejecting any sense of superiority.
- In plain terms
- I am no better than the poorest or most imprisoned person on earth.
- What can you take from it?
- True freedom means standing with the oppressed, not above them.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do you feel connected to those in prison?
- What does true equality mean to you?
Another view
This view assumes shared identity across vastly different lived experiences.
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