--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I grew up in a very working-class area…" description: "\"I grew up in a very working-class area with a high crime rate and when I first started to break away from my social conditioning, I fell into a life of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/bez-5475_crime_i-grew-up-in-a-very-working-class-area-w_2251283.jpg" --- # I grew up in a very working-class area with a high crime… ![“I grew up in a very working-class area with a high crime rate and when I first started to break away from my social conditioning, I fell into a life of crime.” quote by Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/bez-5475_crime_i-grew-up-in-a-very-working-class-area-w_2251283.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/bez-5475_crime_i-grew-up-in-a-very-working-class-area-w_2251283.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/bez-5475_crime_i-grew-up-in-a-very-working-class-area-w_2251283.jpg) > “I grew up in a very working-class area with a high crime rate and when I first started to break away from my social conditioning, I fell into a life of crime.” [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A reflection on how breaking free from social expectations can inadvertently lead to a similar or worse pattern of behavior. **In simple terms:** Escaping one set of norms may trap you in another. Key Takeaway Beware of repeating old habits in new contexts. Themes social conditioning crime identity cycle Mood reflective cautionary Type sociological personal When to use this quote - youth rebellion - urban poverty - re‑offending - personal transformation Key Concepts self‑sabotage environmental influence Questions to Reflect On - What underlying needs drive your choices? - How can you break the cycle? A Different Perspective Changing surroundings alone rarely changes behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Crime rate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime-rate/) [Grew Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew-working-397664/) [High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high/) [High Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-crime-1071707/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Working class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/) ## Related quotes > [“Police not enforcing laws results in a high crime rate that is formally reported as a low crime rate in police statistics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/police-not-enforcing-laws-results-in-a-high-crime-rate-that-is/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [People like me who grew up in a working-class town, who don't have a college education, you don't usually hear from us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/people-like-me-who-grew-up-in-a-working-class-town-who-don-t-have-a/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [I grew up in a working-class family, so I guess you could say I write from what I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-arnold/i-grew-up-in-a-working-class-family-so-i-guess-you-could-say-i-write/) [Andrea Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-arnold/) > [The wider public is clueless about the social breakdown in high-crime areas and its effect on street life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mac-donald/the-wider-public-is-clueless-about-the-social-breakdown-in-high-crime/) [Heather Mac Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mac-donald/) > [It is unfortunate that we have to live in a fortress, but we are forced to do so given the high crime rate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-unfortunate-that-we-have-to-live-in-a-fortress-but-we-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You're going to be accused of every high crime and low misdemeanor there is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-brown/you-re-going-to-be-accused-of-every-high-crime-and-low-misdemeanor/) [Willie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-brown/) > [Only an approach combining tough law enforcement with physical, moral and educational revitalization of high-crime areas offers the prospect of a safer America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barr/only-an-approach-combining-tough-law-enforcement-with-physical-moral/) [William Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barr/) > [We the people say it loud and clear every Election Day, in high-crime periods as well as peaceful stretches - More of our population…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/we-the-people-say-it-loud-and-clear-every-election-day-in-high-crime/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [“Violating the presidential oath, in whatever fashion, constitutes a “high crime and misdemeanor”—according to the founding generation’s definition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brion-t-mcclanahan/violating-the-presidential-oath-in-whatever-fashion-constitutes-a/) [Brion T. McClanahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brion-t-mcclanahan/) > [Private equity does pay very well, and my counterparts, guys that I grew up with who are still working at a number of firms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-schwartz/private-equity-does-pay-very-well-and-my-counterparts-guys-that-i/) [Gerry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-schwartz/) > [I'm a kid who grew up working hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-watt/i-m-a-kid-who-grew-up-working-hard/) [J. J. Watt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-watt/) > [I grew up working in Canada so everything was low budget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-page/i-grew-up-working-in-canada-so-everything-was-low-budget/) [Ellen Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-page/) > [I grew up working hard to earn everything I had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johny-hendricks/i-grew-up-working-hard-to-earn-everything-i-had/) [Johny Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johny-hendricks/) > [I grew up on a working farm. It was small, a hundred acres, but we had cows and pigs and chickens and sheep and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-paulson/i-grew-up-on-a-working-farm-it-was-small-a-hundred-acres-but-we-had/) [Henry Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-paulson/) > [I grew up in a working class family. People thought I might go work at a mill. My mom wanted me to learn how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/i-grew-up-in-a-working-class-family-people-thought-i-might-go-work-at/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) ## More by Bez > [Jobseeker's Allowance was on me case trying to get me to do some warehouse work. Shifting boxes of beans or something, so I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/jobseeker-s-allowance-was-on-me-case-trying-to-get-me-to-do-some/) [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) > [So basically America, they are the Knights Templars of, and they've taken us into, perpetual war - that's their game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/so-basically-america-they-are-the-knights-templars-of-and-they-ve/) [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) > [We live in a democratic society that allows me to fight the revolution in the corridors of power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/we-live-in-a-democratic-society-that-allows-me-to-fight-the/) [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) > [I went to live with my grandparents when my parents threw me out. Then I went to prison at the age of 17, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/i-went-to-live-with-my-grandparents-when-my-parents-threw-me-out-then/) [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) > [Getting the truth out of any politician is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/getting-the-truth-out-of-any-politician-is-hard/) [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) > [I don't do evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/i-don-t-do-evil/) [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) > [My girlfriend has got the new, improved me. Before, I was argumentative: now I will get out of a situation before mud-slinging begins. Having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/my-girlfriend-has-got-the-new-improved-me-before-i-was-argumentative/) [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) > [I keep bees, I make all my own booze, from cider to beer to elderflower wines and all that, growing our own food, creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/i-keep-bees-i-make-all-my-own-booze-from-cider-to-beer-to-elderflower/) [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) > [In my mind, if anyone can save the world from destroying itself, it will be the creative minds: the thinkers, the artists and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/in-my-mind-if-anyone-can-save-the-world-from-destroying-itself-it/) [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) > [My grandad, when he came home from the war, the only thing he came home with was four massive tins of honey and ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/my-grandad-when-he-came-home-from-the-war-the-only-thing-he-came-home/) [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) > [For me, it doesn't matter who it is, who's the head figure of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/for-me-it-doesn-t-matter-who-it-is-who-s-the-head-figure-of-america/) [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) > [Not in my wildest dreams did I think it would ever become a job. I'm forever grateful for it happening. Although it did take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/not-in-my-wildest-dreams-did-i-think-it-would-ever-become-a-job-i-m/) [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) > [I would never do politics again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/i-would-never-do-politics-again/) [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) > [I've always eaten healthily; I've always been quite athletic and sporty, and I've always lived a balanced lifestyle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/i-ve-always-eaten-healthily-i-ve-always-been-quite-athletic-and/) [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) > [Some things are best left to memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/some-things-are-best-left-to-memories/) [Bez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) [Explore all 100 Bez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/) ## More Crime quotes > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/crime-and-punishment-can-be-summed-up-in-two-classifications-there/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [“The jailers, the Court, everyone in that building – it wasn’t about justice; it was about obedience and intimidation…about maintaining order. Fear accomplished that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-allan/the-jailers-the-court-everyone-in-that-building-it-wasn-t-about/) [Jay Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-allan/) > [Taking notes while watching Forensic Files and Snapped. I don't want to make the same mistakes the criminals do! ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/taking-notes-while-watching-forensic-files-and-snapped-i-don-t-want/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. Only when the original invasion, occupation, extermination or usurpation has been safely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/nations-sometimes-flourish-by-denying-the-crimes-that-brought-them/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Too much virtue can be criminal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-racine/too-much-virtue-can-be-criminal/) [Jean Racine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-racine/) > [The federal prison population increased by almost 800 percent between 1980 and 2013, often at a far faster rate than the Bureau of Prisons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-yates/the-federal-prison-population-increased-by-almost-800-percent-between/) [Sally Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-yates/) > [ \[P\]rogress, however, has not sufficiently infiltrated the Interior Ministry, affording protection to those who participated in the Bytyqi murders and other egregious Milosevic-era crimes. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avis-bohlen/p-rogress-however-has-not-sufficiently-infiltrated-the-interior/) [Avis Bohlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avis-bohlen/) [Browse all 8,359 Crime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I grew up in a very working-class area with a high crime rate and when I first started to break away from my social conditioning, I fell into a life of crime.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bez" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/i-grew-up-in-a-very-working-class-area-with-a-high-crime-rate-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crime" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/i-grew-up-in-a-very-working-class-area-with-a-high-crime-rate-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/bez-5475_crime_i-grew-up-in-a-very-working-class-area-w_2251283.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/bez-5475_crime_i-grew-up-in-a-very-working-class-area-w_2251283.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/bez-5475_crime_i-grew-up-in-a-very-working-class-area-w_2251283.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I grew up in a very working-class area with a high crime rate and when I first started to break away from my…” — Bez", "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": "Bez", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bez/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I grew up in a very...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/i-grew-up-in-a-very-working-class-area-with-a-high-crime-rate-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bez/i-grew-up-in-a-very-working-class-area-with-a-high-crime-rate-and/#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 } } ] } ```