Quotes from Anthony Ray Hinton

To me, America need to clean up their own home before they tell another country about human rights. I'm a primary example. America don't care nothing about human rights.

I loved to read books in the free world, and there was a lot of time to sit around and do nothing in prison. When you read, it opens up your mind; it helped us take our minds away from where we were.

When I went to prison, for three years I didn't say a word to another human being until, going into the fourth year, when I realized, 'You know what, I have to find a way to live.'

When you're poor and black in America, you stand a greater chance of going to prison for something you didn't do.

America should be ashamed to say they have the best justice system in the world when, every day, race plays a part in who goes to prison, who don't go to prison.

Death row prisoners face enormous challenges in finding lawyers who will assist them.

I've seen hate at its worse. What would it profit me to hate?

I have no respect for the prosecutors, the judges. And I say that not with malice in my heart. I say it because they took 30 years from me.

I believe in laughter. I believe laughter is good for the soul. I believe in making other people laugh to make them feel good.

Life is not always what we think it is.

For 30 years, I lived in pure hell.

I forgive because not to forgive would only hurt me.

I often say that if I had one wish in this world, I would wish that every child could have a mother the way my mother were. And I never went without clothes, I never went without food... I never went without anything that a child needs. But above all of that, she gave me unconditional love.

Death row was the only place where I never witnessed racism. We all went to bed with a death sentence on our heads and woke up that way. We had to become each other's support system.

When it seems like the whole world thinks you're bad, it's hard to hang on to your goodness.

On September 22, 2002, my mama, Buhlar Hinton, died. When the guards told me, I gave up. She'd been deteriorating for a long time - I believe she died of a broken heart.

I never used a gun in my life.

Hatred is nothing but a form of cancer, and it will eat you up.

I want you to know there is a God. He sits high, but he looks low. He will destroy, but yet he will defend - and he defended me.

I'm just trying to be a little tiny light in God's world.

You get to know everyone on death row. You become friends with them and their families. I met some great guys. Everyone regrets what they did.

I have a good sense of humour, and that's what kept me for the 30 years I was locked up.

I have too much to live for to allow a bunch of cowards to take my joy. I refuse to give them my joy.

They took my 30s, my 40s, my 50s, but what they couldn't take was my joy. I couldn't do nothing about the years, but I could control my joy... I kept a smile on my face; I kept love in my heart.