--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She had the startled-rabbit look that…" description: "\"“She had the startled-rabbit look that civilians get after five minutes of helping the police with their inquiries. If they stay calm for too long it’s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/ben-aaronovitch-3199_guilty_she-had-the-startled-rabbit-look-that-ci_2875956.jpg" --- # She had the startled-rabbit look that civilians get after… ![“She had the startled-rabbit look that civilians get after five minutes of helping the police with their inquiries. If they stay calm for too long it’s a sign that they’re professional villains or foreign or just plain stupid. All of which can get you locked up if you’re not careful. If you find…” quote by Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/ben-aaronovitch-3199_guilty_she-had-the-startled-rabbit-look-that-ci_2875956.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/ben-aaronovitch-3199_guilty_she-had-the-startled-rabbit-look-that-ci_2875956.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/ben-aaronovitch-3199_guilty_she-had-the-startled-rabbit-look-that-ci_2875956.jpg) > ““She had the startled-rabbit look that civilians get after five minutes of helping the police with their inquiries. If they stay calm for too long it’s a sign that they’re professional villains or foreign or just plain stupid. All of which can get you locked up if you’re not careful. If you find yourself talking to the police, my advice is to stay calm but look guilty; it’s your safest bet.”” [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When dealing with police, appearing calm yet subtly guilty can protect you; overt confidence may be risky. **In simple terms:** Stay calm, appear guilty to stay safe. Key Takeaway Adopt a calm, modest demeanor. Themes law enforcement social interaction self‑preservation trust Mood cautious practical Type advice fictional When to use this quote - interrogations - public encounters - conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you manage authority interactions? - What signals convey trust? A Different Perspective Misreading cues can worsen situations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Guilty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilty/) [Helping Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping-police-3959633/) [Look Civilians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-civilians-3959634/) [Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police/) [Police Advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police-advice-3959632/) [Stay calm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay-calm/) [Talking Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking-police-3620055/) [Too long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-long/) ## Related quotes > [If you find yourself talking to the police, my advice is to stay calm but look guilty; it's your safest bet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/if-you-find-yourself-talking-to-the-police-my-advice-is-to-stay-calm/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [What we're also doing is helping police forces in terms of issues like procurement and IT, so that savings can be made in those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-may/what-we-re-also-doing-is-helping-police-forces-in-terms-of-issues/) [Theresa May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-may/) > [“Stay away from any place where you can run into police—that’s the advice I give to you and to all young black men in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imbolo-mbue/stay-away-from-any-place-where-you-can-run-into-police-that-s-the/) [Imbolo Mbue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imbolo-mbue/) > [“My advice to someone like you is to always stay close to the gray area and keep yourself and your family safe. 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They don't interfere with my creativity or turn me into a zombie or dull my real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gethard/my-medications-make-me-easier-to-deal-with-they-don-t-interfere-with/) [Chris Gethard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gethard/) ## More by Ben Aaronovitch > [“He was from Yorkshire, or somewhere like that, and like many Northerners with issues, he'd moved to London as a cheap alternative to psychotherapy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/he-was-from-yorkshire-or-somewhere-like-that-and-like-many/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [“I left in a hurry before he could change his mind, but I want to make it clear that at no point did I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/i-left-in-a-hurry-before-he-could-change-his-mind-but-i-want-to-make/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [The general public have a warped view of the speed at which an investigation proceeds. 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Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/u-g-krishnamurti/) [Browse all 1,985 Guilty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“She had the startled-rabbit look that civilians get after five minutes of helping the police with their inquiries. If they stay calm for too long it’s a sign that they’re professional villains or foreign or just plain stupid. All of which can get you locked up if you’re not careful. 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