Man, by himself, cannot reach beyond his own ego. He cannot transcend his own limitations, he cannot rise by pulling at his own hair. All his achievements are bound to his ego. Everything he can understand is defined by his own subjective perception. He is a prisoner by definition.
Then God threw Man a rope. He gave him tasks to accomplish that are beyond his understanding, thoughts to contemplate that take him beyond his own subjective universe. All that is needed is the will to surpass himself.
We are all prisoners. But we are sitting on the keys to our own cell.