Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

by Stephen King

In spite of the problems he was having, he was going on with his life. There are thousands who don’t or won’t or can’t, and plenty of them aren’t in prison, either.

Some birds are not meant to be caged, that’s all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure.

Remember that hope is a good thing, Red, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.

I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.