About this quote

The line points out how a harsh environment can push someone to act against their prior values. It names the trade-off between survival and conscience in plain terms, no flowery language. Ask yourself where pressure or rules are nudging you to small compromises — notice them early and decide what you will refuse. If you want to keep your standards, change the setting or the stakes before the behavior becomes routine.

When to use it

• At work after months of pressure to hit impossible targets, I told my colleague, "When the place rewards shortcuts, you start cutting them — like Andy said, I had to come to prison to be a crook."
• During finals week at a school where cheating was everywhere, I told my roommate, "I used to be straight as an arrow, but this environment is making me do things I never would."
• After a toxic family situation where lying kept the peace, I said to my sister, "Living here changed how I behaved — it's like being thrown into prison and learning to play by different rules."
• When I picked up food I couldn't afford to feed my kids, I whispered, "I never thought I'd stoop to this, but desperate conditions push you — Andy's line kept running through my head."