Bryan Stevenson Quotes: Words of Wisdom and Inspiration

Each of us is more than the worst thing we?ve ever done.

The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned.

We are all implicated when we allow other people to be mistreated.

The opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice.

There is no wholeness outside of our reciprocal humanity.

Hope is what will get you to stand up when other people say sit down.

We will not be governed by fear and anger, but by compassion and love.

We are all broken by something. We have all hurt someone and have been hurt. We all share the condition of brokenness even if our brokenness is not equivalent.

The closer we get to mass incarceration and extreme levels of punishment, the more I believe it?s necessary to recognize that we all need mercy, we all need justice, and perhaps we all need some measure of unmerited grace.

I believe things cannot fundamentally change without confronting our history.

Proximity has taught me some basic and humbling truths.

You can’t understand most of the important things from a distance, you have to get close.

I’ve come to understand and to believe that each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.

Our society applies a presumption of dangerousness and guilt to young black men, and that’s what leads to wrongful arrests and wrongful convictions and death.

Justice is not about multiple punishments for the same crime. Justice is about equal justice.

The opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice.

Each of us is more than the worst thing we?ve ever done.

We will ultimately not be judged by our technology, we won’t be judged by our design, we won’t be judged by our intellect and reason. Ultimately, you judge the character of a society . . . by how they treat the poor, the condemned, the incarcerated.

There is power in identity.

We need to change the narrative about race in this country.

The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned.

We are all implicated when we allow other people to be mistreated.

I believe that the opposite of poverty is not wealth. The opposite of poverty is justice.

We have a system of justice that treats you better if you’re rich and guilty than if you’re poor and innocent.

The real question of capital punishment in this country is, do we deserve to kill?

I’ve come to understand and to believe that each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.

In this country, we treat you better if you are rich and guilty than if you are poor and innocent.

I do what I do because I’m broken too.

Somebody has to stand when other people are sitting.

We can’t change the world until we change our narrative about race.

It’s not about how hard you hit but about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.

Most of us have been deeply conditioned to fear those things and matters related to crime and punishment.

Carrying the burden of your past, the condemnation, the blame, the finger pointing, it doesn’t lead to a healthier place.

No one should be defined by the worst thing they?ve ever done.

Don?t judge people by one act. You are not just the worst thing that you have done.

The opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice.

You can’t understand most of the important things from a distance, Bryan. You have to get close.

We are all implicated when we allow other people to be mistreated.

I guess I?d always known but never fully considered that being broken is what makes us human.

Proximity has taught me some basic and humbling truths, including this vital lesson: Each of us is more than the worst thing we?ve ever done.

We all need mercy, we all need justice, and?perhaps?we all need some measure of unmerited grace.

The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned.

An absence of compassion can corrupt the decency of a community, a state, a nation.

Mercy is just when it is rooted in hopefulness and freely given.

Our humanity depends on everyone?s humanity.