Context

Our main man Alex is in prison, and he's about to take part in a procedure that will supposedly turn him into a mindless citizen, incapable of even thinking about committing a crime.

So, yeah, not your average prison.

But hey, at least he doesn't have to Shawshank his way out of this one. Once the procedure's done, he can walk the world a free man…sort of.

That's where this quote comes in. The prison chaplain speaks these lines to Alex as he awaits his procedure. Alex is pretty pumped that he'll soon be out of prison, but the chaplain is struggling with the ethics of the procedure.

Where you've heard it

This quote is all about free will and what it means to take it away. So we're betting you've heard it from your friendly neighborhood libertarian—or really anyone who values personal choice over authoritarian control.

Of course, it's a bit more complicated than all that.

The term brainwashing normally has a negative connotation, but what if someone could have their immorality brainwashed out?

That might sound like a useful thing, especially considering all of the horrible crimes Alex and his gang have committed; but the Chaplain is wondering if God might value choice more than mindless obedience.

So save this one up for deployment in your next moral philosophy class.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Depends if you agree, we guess.