--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you suffer your people to be…" description: "\"If you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners corrupted from infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first educ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/bubbles-9911_crime_if-you-suffer-your-people-to-be-ill-educ_1856349.jpg" --- # If you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their… ![“If you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners corrupted from infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded but that you first make thieves and then punish them?” quote by Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/bubbles-9911_crime_if-you-suffer-your-people-to-be-ill-educ_1856349.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/bubbles-9911_crime_if-you-suffer-your-people-to-be-ill-educ_1856349.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/bubbles-9911_crime_if-you-suffer-your-people-to-be-ill-educ_1856349.jpg) > “If you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners corrupted from infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded but that you first make thieves and then punish them?” [Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Educating and shaping children poorly leads to criminal behavior, making punishment a cycle of self‑fulfilling prophecy. **In simple terms:** Bad education creates bad citizens, then they are punished. Key Takeaway Improve early education to break the cycle. Themes education crime social responsibility justice Mood concerned critical hopeful Type advice analytical philosophical When to use this quote - parenting - school curricula - community programs - rehabilitation - law enforcement Key Concepts social conditioning determinism preventive policy Questions to Reflect On - How can societies redesign early education to prevent crime? - What responsibilities do leaders have in shaping youth? A Different Perspective If systemic issues are ignored, punishment alone cannot solve crime. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Make Thieves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-thieves-2459766/) [Manners Corrupted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manners-corrupted-2454525/) [Punish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punish/) [Punish Crimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punish-crimes-1797451/) [Thieves Punish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thieves-punish-2459765/) ## Related quotes > [For if you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-if-you-suffer-your-people-to-be-ill-educated-and-their-manners-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Until you put these things to right, you're not entitled to boast of the justice meted out to thieves, for it's a justice more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-more/until-you-put-these-things-to-right-you-re-not-entitled-to-boast-of/) [Thomas More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-more/) > [Our manners have been corrupted by communication with the saints. Our hymn-books resound with a melodious cursing of God and enduring Him forever. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-manners-have-been-corrupted-by-communication-with-the-saints-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Our manners have been corrupted by communication with the saints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-manners-have-been-corrupted-by-communication-with-the-saints/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [It is the custom of the immortal gods to grant temporary prosperity and a fairly long period of impunity to those whom they plan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-caesar/it-is-the-custom-of-the-immortal-gods-to-grant-temporary-prosperity/) [Julius Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-caesar/) > [“Must crimes be punish'd but by other crimes, and greater criminals?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gordon-byron/must-crimes-be-punish-d-but-by-other-crimes-and-greater-criminals/) [George Gordon Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gordon-byron/) > [Crimes were committed to punish crimes, and crimes were committed to prevent crimes. The world has been filled with prisons and dungeons, with chains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/crimes-were-committed-to-punish-crimes-and-crimes-were-committed-to/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Men ; dont punish us for HER MISTAKES.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahafa/men-dont-punish-us-for-her-mistakes/) [Mahafa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahafa/) > [Finally, I do not believe that we should punish American families who have worked diligently to provide for themselves and want to pass along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-coble/finally-i-do-not-believe-that-we-should-punish-american-families-who/) [Howard Coble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-coble/) > [You make the decision: Whom did God punish?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-sachar/you-make-the-decision-whom-did-god-punish/) [Louis Sachar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-sachar/) > [As politics is disconnected from its ethical and material moorings, it becomes easier to punish and imprison young people than to educate them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-ethical-and-material-moorings-it/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [“He hung his head. “Am I punished?” “Yes. I’m too mad to punish you right now. We’ll talk about it when we get home.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/he-hung-his-head-am-i-punished-yes-i-m-too-mad-to-punish-you-right/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [People who cannot feel punish those who do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/people-who-cannot-feel-punish-those-who-do/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Don't punish your next boyfriend for what an ex did. Not all men are the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-punish-your-next-boyfriend-for-what-an-ex-did-not-all-men-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Laws undertake to punish only overt acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/laws-undertake-to-punish-only-overt-acts/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Bubbles > [Show your gratitude to them, let them know they are loved and not being taken for granted. Nice words are hard to say but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/show-your-gratitude-to-them-let-them-know-they-are-loved-and-not/) [Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) > [Even when you hurt me, I still care so much about you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/even-when-you-hurt-me-i-still-care-so-much-about-you/) [Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) > [Im still standing here No I didnt disappear Now the lights are on See I was never gone I let go of your hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/im-still-standing-here-no-i-didnt-disappear-now-the-lights-are-on-see/) [Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) > [It hurts to realize that the people you thought youd love for your whole life dont love you as much as you thought they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/it-hurts-to-realize-that-the-people-you-thought-youd-love-for-your/) [Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) > [Liars are hard to trust, even if its the love of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/liars-are-hard-to-trust-even-if-its-the-love-of-your-life/) [Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) > [Feminism: An ideology that believes that women too are human!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/feminism-an-ideology-that-believes-that-women-too-are-human/) [Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) > [Should I hate you because you hurt me? Or should I love you because you made me feel special?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/should-i-hate-you-because-you-hurt-me-or-should-i-love-you-because/) [Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) > [Im sorry I'm not perfect but you dont have to point out my flaws and make me feel 2 inches tall...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/im-sorry-i-m-not-perfect-but-you-dont-have-to-point-out-my-flaws-and/) [Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) > [Dont talk to me because you are bored. Im not here to entertain you. And dont come to me only when you need a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/dont-talk-to-me-because-you-are-bored-im-not-here-to-entertain-you/) [Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) > [These battle scars, don't look like they're fading Don't look like they're ever going away They ain't never gonna change These battle scars, don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/these-battle-scars-don-t-look-like-they-re-fading-don-t-look-like/) [Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) > [Its not just the cheating that hurts, Its the fact that I wasn't worth the truth for you to be honest with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/its-not-just-the-cheating-that-hurts-its-the-fact-that-i-wasn-t-worth/) [Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) > [When people hurt you, forgive them. When people spread rumors about you, don't dwell too much on it. And when life gives you circumstances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/when-people-hurt-you-forgive-them-when-people-spread-rumors-about-you/) [Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) > [You can talk to God because God listens. Your voice in heaven matters. He takes you very seriously. When you enter His presence, He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/you-can-talk-to-god-because-god-listens-your-voice-in-heaven-matters/) [Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) > [I don't care how old I am, I still like cartoons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/i-don-t-care-how-old-i-am-i-still-like-cartoons/) [Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) > [There are times when it's better to choose to LOVE a person in SILENCE, for in silence,you will find no rejection. Likewise, it's sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/there-are-times-when-it-s-better-to-choose-to-love-a-person-in/) [Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) [Explore all 67 Bubbles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/) ## 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": "If you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners corrupted from infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded but that you first make thieves and then punish them?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bubbles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/if-you-suffer-your-people-to-be-ill-educated-and-their-manners/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crime" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/if-you-suffer-your-people-to-be-ill-educated-and-their-manners/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/bubbles-9911_crime_if-you-suffer-your-people-to-be-ill-educ_1856349.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/bubbles-9911_crime_if-you-suffer-your-people-to-be-ill-educ_1856349.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/839/bubbles-9911_crime_if-you-suffer-your-people-to-be-ill-educ_1856349.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners corrupted from infancy, and then punish them…” — Bubbles", "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": "Bubbles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you suffer your people to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/if-you-suffer-your-people-to-be-ill-educated-and-their-manners/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbles/if-you-suffer-your-people-to-be-ill-educated-and-their-manners/#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 } } ] } ```