--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In California, thieves have three…" description: "\"In California, thieves have three choices: They can go to prison, Sacramento, or Washington D.C.\" — Burt Prelutsky" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/burt-prelutsky-40354_california_in-california-thieves-have-three-choices_2282317.jpg" --- # In California, thieves have three choices: They can go to… ![“In California, thieves have three choices: They can go to prison, Sacramento, or Washington D.C.” quote by Burt Prelutsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/burt-prelutsky-40354_california_in-california-thieves-have-three-choices_2282317.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/burt-prelutsky-40354_california_in-california-thieves-have-three-choices_2282317.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/burt-prelutsky-40354_california_in-california-thieves-have-three-choices_2282317.jpg) > “In California, thieves have three choices: They can go to prison, Sacramento, or Washington D.C.” [Burt Prelutsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-prelutsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A satirical comment on limited options for thieves, implying political critique. **In simple terms:** Thieves have limited choices. Key Takeaway Recognize consequences of wrongdoing. Themes justice politics humor Mood witty critical Type satirical thought‑provoking When to use this quote - criminal justice reform - political discourse - education - policy debate Key Concepts satire social critique Questions to Reflect On - What does this say about the justice system? - How can we address root causes of theft? A Different Perspective Humor may oversimplify complex issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [California](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/) [California Thieves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california-thieves-5332267/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Prison Sacramento](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison-sacramento-5332268/) [Sacramento](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacramento/) [Sacramento Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacramento-washington-5332270/) [Thieves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thieves/) [Thieves Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thieves-choices-5332269/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) ## Related quotes > [All my life I've been involved with racial politics. I was a Freedom Rider in the South. I was the author of books on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hayden/all-my-life-i-ve-been-involved-with-racial-politics-i-was-a-freedom/) [Tom Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hayden/) > [“Why the long face? Something happen?" "Nothing except my grandmother is still dead and my aunt moved to Sacramento and my sister just got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-thurber/why-the-long-face-something-happen-nothing-except-my-grandmother-is/) [Bob Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-thurber/) > [When I lived in California, 1984 to '87, it was a Republican state. Sacramento where I lived was 73% Democrat voter registration, when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/when-i-lived-in-california-1984-to-87-it-was-a-republican-state/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Everyone in Sacramento is a Kings fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/de-aaron-fox/everyone-in-sacramento-is-a-kings-fan/) [De'Aaron Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/de-aaron-fox/) > [Moving to San Francisco affected me in a pretty profound way, in a lot of respects. 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The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-robertson/people-will-think-there-are-no-other-great-ballplayers-look-at/) [Oscar Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-robertson/) > [When the Sacramento Kings, when I was there, we win 29-30 games - that was a successful season. And it would be packed from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/when-the-sacramento-kings-when-i-was-there-we-win-29-30-games-that/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [I'm not worried about facing the Sacramento Queens. Write it down. Take a picture. I'm not going to talk about this all year. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-m-not-worried-about-facing-the-sacramento-queens-write-it-down-take/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [When I first caught sight of (Mount Shasta) over the braided folds of the Sacramento Valley I was fifty miles away and afoot, alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/when-i-first-caught-sight-of-mount-shasta-over-the-braided-folds-of/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Sacramento is where I grew up, so I felt like it had not been given its proper due in cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/sacramento-is-where-i-grew-up-so-i-felt-like-it-had-not-been-given/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [I might like the Sacramento Kings. One of my favorite players is Dirk Nowitzki.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-40/i-might-like-the-sacramento-kings-one-of-my-favorite-players-is-dirk/) [E-40](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-40/) > [In the Sacramento of the 1950s, it was as though White simply hadn't had time enough to figure Brown out. It was a busy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/in-the-sacramento-of-the-1950s-it-was-as-though-white-simply-hadn-t/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [Sacramento is a great place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bagley-iii/sacramento-is-a-great-place/) [Marvin Bagley III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bagley-iii/) ## More by Burt Prelutsky > [Where taxes are concerned, there are two clear-cut points of view. There are those who think they're too high and those who think they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-prelutsky/where-taxes-are-concerned-there-are-two-clear-cut-points-of-view/) [Burt Prelutsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-prelutsky/) > [We are well on our way to becoming a banana republic in every respect except, of course, that we don't grow bananas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-prelutsky/we-are-well-on-our-way-to-becoming-a-banana-republic-in-every-respect/) [Burt Prelutsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-prelutsky/) > [Finally, it occurs to me that the biggest problem with our elections is that however you vote, you wind up electing a politician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-prelutsky/finally-it-occurs-to-me-that-the-biggest-problem-with-our-elections/) [Burt Prelutsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-prelutsky/) > [These self-anointed intellectuals are people who think that those who believe in God and Jesus Christ, those who 'cling to their guns and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-prelutsky/these-self-anointed-intellectuals-are-people-who-think-that-those-who/) [Burt Prelutsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-prelutsky/) > [Surely something must be terribly wrong with a man who seems to be far more concerned with Jews building houses in Israel than with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-prelutsky/surely-something-must-be-terribly-wrong-with-a-man-who-seems-to-be/) [Burt Prelutsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-prelutsky/) > [“The main problem with pacifism is that it doesn’t work in all situations. 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Otherwise, you're simply rewarding incompetence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-prelutsky/attempted-murder-should-carry-the-same-penalty-as-first-degree-murder/) [Burt Prelutsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-prelutsky/) [Explore all 11 Burt Prelutsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-prelutsky/) ## More California quotes > [Everyone in California is from somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wright-morris/everyone-in-california-is-from-somewhere-else/) [Wright Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wright-morris/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [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/) > [The Urban Literate Southern California Sub-Group of the Early Atomic Period has not yet produced a distinct body of folk music of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hinton/the-urban-literate-southern-california-sub-group-of-the-early-atomic/) [Sam Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hinton/) > [California is a place in which a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/california-is-a-place-in-which-a-boom-mentality-and-a-sense-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Many militarists would like to see California's votes vanish from the national electoral system, which would then become more Republican.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-swanson/many-militarists-would-like-to-see-california-s-votes-vanish-from-the/) [David Swanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-swanson/) > [When I started in California, people would say, 'Enterprise who?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-nicholson/when-i-started-in-california-people-would-say-enterprise-who/) [Pamela Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-nicholson/) > [Take one round-trip flight between New York and California, and you've generated about 20 percent of the greenhouse gases that your car emits over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/take-one-round-trip-flight-between-new-york-and-california-and-you-ve/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [These French-style caramels are handmade in California. It's always hard to give them away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/these-french-style-caramels-are-handmade-in-california-it-s-always/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [The D.C. playbook is obsolete. It's time for the people of California to bring the agenda to Washington, not the other way around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/the-d-c-playbook-is-obsolete-it-s-time-for-the-people-of-california/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [While there is an attempt by the Trump people to say that California isn't really America. California certainly seems like America to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/while-there-is-an-attempt-by-the-trump-people-to-say-that-california/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [I'm from California, but my father, who passed away when I was young, was from Newark. When I was kid, we would go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-daly/i-m-from-california-but-my-father-who-passed-away-when-i-was-young/) [Carson Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-daly/) > [“God will break California from the surface of the continent like someone breaking off a piece of chocolate. It will become its own floating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ruby/god-will-break-california-from-the-surface-of-the-continent-like/) [Laura Ruby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ruby/) > [You could have a hit in California that no one had heard of in Oklahoma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wanda-jackson/you-could-have-a-hit-in-california-that-no-one-had-heard-of-in/) [Wanda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wanda-jackson/) > [My first encounter with yoga was in 1969 with my older brother Doug. I was thirteen years old, and he was eighteen. 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Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-f-swensen/) [Browse all 2,036 California quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In California, thieves have three choices: They can go to prison, Sacramento, or Washington D.C.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Burt Prelutsky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-prelutsky/in-california-thieves-have-three-choices-they-can-go-to-prison/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "California" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-prelutsky/in-california-thieves-have-three-choices-they-can-go-to-prison/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/burt-prelutsky-40354_california_in-california-thieves-have-three-choices_2282317.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/burt-prelutsky-40354_california_in-california-thieves-have-three-choices_2282317.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/369/burt-prelutsky-40354_california_in-california-thieves-have-three-choices_2282317.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In California, thieves have three choices: They can go to prison, Sacramento, or Washington D.C.” — Burt Prelutsky", "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": "Burt Prelutsky", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-prelutsky/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In California, thieves have three choices:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-prelutsky/in-california-thieves-have-three-choices-they-can-go-to-prison/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-prelutsky/in-california-thieves-have-three-choices-they-can-go-to-prison/#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 } } ] } ```