Random Though of the Day - Stone walls do not a prison make...

The saying you're thinking of is actually "Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage." This is a line from a famous poem called "To Althea, from Prison" written by Richard Lovelace in 1642.

The poem was written while Lovelace was imprisoned for presenting a petition to Parliament. The key idea is that physical confinement cannot imprison the mind, heart, or spirit. Here's the stanza where this line appears:

"Stone walls do not a prison make,

Nor iron bars a cage;

Minds innocent and quiet take

That for an hermitage;

If I have freedom in my love

And in my soul am free,

Angels alone, that soar above,

Enjoy such liberty."

The poem expresses that true freedom exists in the mind and heart. Even when physically confined, someone with inner peace and love can experience a kind of spiritual freedom that transcends physical constraints.

This phrase has become a widely quoted expression that reminds us that physical limitations don't necessarily constrain our thoughts, imagination, or emotions. It has influenced literature and popular culture as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of confinement or oppression.