--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The police have enough work to keep them…" description: "\"The police have enough work to keep them busy regulating automobile traffic, preventing robberies and crimes of violence and helping lost children and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/alan-watts-587_activity_the-police-have-enough-work-to-keep-them_2503751.jpg" --- # The police have enough work to keep them busy regulating… ![“The police have enough work to keep them busy regulating automobile traffic, preventing robberies and crimes of violence and helping lost children and little old ladies find their way home. As long as the police confine themselves to such activities they are respected friends of the public. But as…” quote by Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/alan-watts-587_activity_the-police-have-enough-work-to-keep-them_2503751.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/alan-watts-587_activity_the-police-have-enough-work-to-keep-them_2503751.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/alan-watts-587_activity_the-police-have-enough-work-to-keep-them_2503751.jpg) > “The police have enough work to keep them busy regulating automobile traffic, preventing robberies and crimes of violence and helping lost children and little old ladies find their way home. As long as the police confine themselves to such activities they are respected friends of the public. But as soon as they begin inquiring into people's private morals, they become nothing more than armed clergymen.” [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When police focus on public safety tasks they earn trust; probing personal morals turns them into oppressive moral enforcers. **In simple terms:** Police are respected when they handle public duties, not private judgments. Key Takeaway Limit police to public safety roles. Themes public safety trust authority morality community Mood cautious reflective Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - neighborhood patrols - traffic control - community outreach - crime prevention - public events Key Concepts civil liberties state power ethical boundaries Questions to Reflect On - Should law enforcement limit its role to public safety? - How does moral policing affect public trust? A Different Perspective If police intervene in private morals, they risk alienating the community. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Automobile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automobile/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Clergymen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clergymen/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police/) [Police work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police-work/) [Robbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robbery/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) ## Related quotes > [Every thinking man, when he thinks, realizes that the teachings of the Bible are so interwoven and intertwined with our whole civic and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/every-thinking-man-when-he-thinks-realizes-that-the-teachings-of-the/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [“Man has always been a venal animal. 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