“Prison is a second-by-second assault on the soul, a day-to-day degradation of the self, an oppressive steel and brick umbrella that transforms seconds into hours and hours into days.”

“The men laugh at the witty line, but it is not a belly laugh. Beasley's mouth is in a wide smile, but his eyes do not laugh, for there is little reason for joy. And if eyes are indeed mirrors of the soul, then they reflect an infinite sadness. I look away, afraid of what mine might reflect”

“here and therein the barrios and the favelas,among those who have least,beat hearts of hope,fly sparks of Overcoming. ”

“Elie Wiesel says that the greatest evil in the world is not anger or hatred, but indifference. If that is true, then the opposite is also true: that the greatest love we can show our children is the attention we pay them, the time we take for them. Maybe we serve children the best simply by noticing them.”

“Days, hours, minutes,seconds slip byunappreciated, unnoticed.Notice them.Appreciate them.And treat themlike they could beyour last.”

“Days, weeks, months, years," said the boy. "Minutes and hours and seconds. I don't know about any of those things.”

“The moment feels laden with mystery and tension, as if for one second the world has agreed to pay attention to time itself.”