--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: These are young people who made mistakes…" description: "\"These are young people who made mistakes that aren't that different than the mistakes I made and the mistakes that a lot of you guys made, we have a te..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/barack-obama-17_criminal-justice_these-are-young-people-who-made-mistakes_1171544.jpg" --- # These are young people who made mistakes that aren't that… ![“These are young people who made mistakes that aren't that different than the mistakes I made and the mistakes that a lot of you guys made, we have a tendency sometimes to almost take for granted or think it's normal that so many young people end up in our criminal justice system. It's not normal…” quote by Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/barack-obama-17_criminal-justice_these-are-young-people-who-made-mistakes_1171544.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/barack-obama-17_criminal-justice_these-are-young-people-who-made-mistakes_1171544.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/barack-obama-17_criminal-justice_these-are-young-people-who-made-mistakes_1171544.jpg) > “These are young people who made mistakes that aren't that different than the mistakes I made and the mistakes that a lot of you guys made, we have a tendency sometimes to almost take for granted or think it's normal that so many young people end up in our criminal justice system. It's not normal. ... What is normal is teenagers doing stupid things.” [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Young people often end up in prison due to systemic failures, not because their actions are normal. **In simple terms:** Mistakes by youth are amplified by a broken system. Key Takeaway Address systemic bias in justice. Themes justice youth systemic failure rehabilitation Mood hopeful concerned Type policy social When to use this quote - school counseling - legislative change - mentorship programs Key Concepts policy reform education community support Questions to Reflect On - What policies best reduce youth incarceration? - How can communities support at‑risk youth? A Different Perspective Changing laws alone won’t change attitudes without cultural shift. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criminal justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-justice/) [Criminal justice system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-justice-system/) [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Justice system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice-system/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Stupid things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid-things/) [Teenager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teenager/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/) ## Related quotes > [It's hard when paparazzi are photographing every single thing you do. I'm sure a lot of people made mistakes - they just were not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/it-s-hard-when-paparazzi-are-photographing-every-single-thing-you-do/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [Research shows that normal young children misbehave every three minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-s-dweck/research-shows-that-normal-young-children-misbehave-every-three/) [Carol S. Dweck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-s-dweck/) > [They go on about banning size zero, but I think Hollywood stars are the worst perpetrators. Most models are naturally long and gangly, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twiggy/they-go-on-about-banning-size-zero-but-i-think-hollywood-stars-are/) [Twiggy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twiggy/) > [I'm always thrilled when I get feedback from young people, particularly from 'The New Normal,' young gay people - when they say they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-rannells/i-m-always-thrilled-when-i-get-feedback-from-young-people/) [Andrew Rannells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-rannells/) > [I just wanted to do the things that all normal teenagers wanted to do. So I did become quite rebellious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-draiman/i-just-wanted-to-do-the-things-that-all-normal-teenagers-wanted-to-do/) [David Draiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-draiman/) > [I'm just a normal young lad who plays football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-rooney/i-m-just-a-normal-young-lad-who-plays-football/) [Wayne Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-rooney/) > [I wanted to show a normal young girl whose only difference was that she behaved in the way a boy might, without any sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-vadim/i-wanted-to-show-a-normal-young-girl-whose-only-difference-was-that/) [Roger Vadim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-vadim/) > [Normal teenagers sneak out and leave. Me? I sneak into the kitchen and bring all the food to my room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-singh/normal-teenagers-sneak-out-and-leave-me-i-sneak-into-the-kitchen-and/) [Nishan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-singh/) > [I would be lying if I said if I didn't miss out on what normal teenagers do, of course. But I don't need pity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lynn-spears/i-would-be-lying-if-i-said-if-i-didn-t-miss-out-on-what-normal/) [Jamie Lynn Spears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lynn-spears/) > [“Jacob looks like a totally normal young man. He's clearly intelligent. But having his day disrupted probably makes him feel the same way I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/jacob-looks-like-a-totally-normal-young-man-he-s-clearly-intelligent/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [We change. We grow up. We love. We get hurt. That's normal. We're teenagers. STILL LEARNING.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kookieemm/we-change-we-grow-up-we-love-we-get-hurt-that-s-normal-we-re/) [KookieEmm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kookieemm/) > [We need to keep making our streets safer and our criminal justice system fairer - our homeland more secure, our world more peaceful and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-need-to-keep-making-our-streets-safer-and-our-criminal-justice/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Over the last few years a lot of people have become aware of the inequities in the criminal justice system, right now, with our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/over-the-last-few-years-a-lot-of-people-have-become-aware-of-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I don't want to exaggerate; having as many African American men as we've had in the criminal-justice system, and the amount of time it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-don-t-want-to-exaggerate-having-as-many-african-american-men-as-we/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ The criminal-justice system is, obviously, the sole source of racial tension in this country \[USA\] or the key institution to resolving the opportunity gap.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-criminal-justice-system-is-obviously-the-sole-source-of-racial/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More by Barack Obama > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/donald-trump-is-temperamentally-unfit/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [What we've said to the girls is: 'If you guys ever decide that you're going to get a tattoo, then mommy and me will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-we-ve-said-to-the-girls-is-if-you-guys-ever-decide-that-you-re/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Nobody is listening to your telephone calls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/nobody-is-listening-to-your-telephone-calls/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/all-of-us-take-offense-to-anyone-who-reaps-the-rewards-of-living-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The world is complicated and full of grays, but there's still truth there to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-world-is-complicated-and-full-of-grays-but-there-s-still-truth/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ That is another theme in the book \[Dreams from My Father\]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams-from-my-father-how-do-we/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I want to thank the Greek people publicly for their humanitarian response to the crisis of so many migrants and refugees seeking safety in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-want-to-thank-the-greek-people-publicly-for-their-humanitarian/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We had a farewell dinner for some of my senior staff, and generally everybody likes to talk about how cool I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-had-a-farewell-dinner-for-some-of-my-senior-staff-and-generally/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ It's good to get fresh legs in \[the White house\]. I think that it refreshes our democracy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-s-good-to-get-fresh-legs-in-the-white-house-i-think-that-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Believe it or not, entertainment is part of our American diplomacy, it is part of what makes us exceptional, part of what makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/believe-it-or-not-entertainment-is-part-of-our-american-diplomacy-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Explore all 3,624 Barack Obama quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More Criminal justice quotes > [We need to incorporate that age-old concept of redemption into the work that we do in the criminal justice system in California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/we-need-to-incorporate-that-age-old-concept-of-redemption-into-the/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) > [“But a punishment like forced labour or even imprisonment – mere loss of liberty – has never functioned without a certain additional element of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/but-a-punishment-like-forced-labour-or-even-imprisonment-mere-loss-of/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [It's encouraging to watch bipartisan leaders from different states recognize the need for fair and rational legislation focused on creating second chances for those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-g-rubin/it-s-encouraging-to-watch-bipartisan-leaders-from-different-states/) [Michael G. Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-g-rubin/) > [America's criminal justice system isn't known for rehabilitation. I'm not sure that, as a society, we are even interested in that concept anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/america-s-criminal-justice-system-isn-t-known-for-rehabilitation-i-m/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [The people who have been unjustly disenfranchised by our criminal justice system and the people who daily fight for them always have, and always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-jenkins/the-people-who-have-been-unjustly-disenfranchised-by-our-criminal/) [Malcolm Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-jenkins/) > [Like a lot of people, I'm very, very concerned about Senator Clinton's record. I'm very, very concerned about where her positions were in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/like-a-lot-of-people-i-m-very-very-concerned-about-senator-clinton-s/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [Our criminal justice system has swallowed up too many people I love. I am proud to join the ACLU in the fight to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-k-williams/our-criminal-justice-system-has-swallowed-up-too-many-people-i-love-i/) [Michael K. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-k-williams/) > [We think of justice sometimes as getting what you deserve, you know - what crime was committed and what is the punishment for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/we-think-of-justice-sometimes-as-getting-what-you-deserve-you-know/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [Biden's political positions have been evolving for decades, shifting more to the left on critical issues such as criminal justice reform, gay marriage, health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-tarlov/biden-s-political-positions-have-been-evolving-for-decades-shifting/) [Jessica Tarlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-tarlov/) > [As a prosecutor and a senator, one of my main criminal justice priorities has been enforcing and reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-klobuchar/as-a-prosecutor-and-a-senator-one-of-my-main-criminal-justice/) [Amy Klobuchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-klobuchar/) > [I think that we are in a position to continue to make progress, but it's gonna require us to both recognize what the problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-think-that-we-are-in-a-position-to-continue-to-make-progress-but-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [A large portion of American citizens, especially people of color, have lost confidence in our criminal justice system. Many have called for appointing special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/a-large-portion-of-american-citizens-especially-people-of-color-have/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [Victims of crime and the wider community deserve a grown-up debate on our criminal justice system and how we can make it work -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/victims-of-crime-and-the-wider-community-deserve-a-grown-up-debate-on/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whether or not we can save Lake Michigan, whether or not we can avoid a breakdown in our criminal justice system are more important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-scott/whether-or-not-we-can-save-lake-michigan-whether-or-not-we-can-avoid/) [Bill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-scott/) > [I'm very mindful of the need to ensure we have a criminal justice system in which people have confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-grayling/i-m-very-mindful-of-the-need-to-ensure-we-have-a-criminal-justice/) [Chris Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-grayling/) [Browse all 336 Criminal justice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-justice/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "These are young people who made mistakes that aren't that different than the mistakes I made and the mistakes that a lot of you guys made, we have a tendency sometimes to almost take for granted or think it's normal that so many young people end up in our criminal justice system. It's not normal. ... What is normal is teenagers doing stupid things.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barack Obama" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/these-are-young-people-who-made-mistakes-that-aren-t-that-different/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Criminal justice" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/these-are-young-people-who-made-mistakes-that-aren-t-that-different/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/barack-obama-17_criminal-justice_these-are-young-people-who-made-mistakes_1171544.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/barack-obama-17_criminal-justice_these-are-young-people-who-made-mistakes_1171544.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/barack-obama-17_criminal-justice_these-are-young-people-who-made-mistakes_1171544.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“These are young people who made mistakes that aren't that different than the mistakes I made and the…” — Barack Obama", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Barack Obama", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "These are young people who made...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/these-are-young-people-who-made-mistakes-that-aren-t-that-different/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/these-are-young-people-who-made-mistakes-that-aren-t-that-different/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```