--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everyone is a criminal! We are beset on…" description: "\"Everyone is a criminal! We are beset on all sides by antirevolutionary forces. Naturally, then, humans fall into three categories: the criminal, the no..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/catherynne-m-valente-375_categories_everyone-is-a-criminal-we-are-beset-on-a_789121.png" --- # Everyone is a criminal! We are beset on all sides by… ![“Everyone is a criminal! We are beset on all sides by antirevolutionary forces. Naturally, then, humans fall into three categories: the criminal, the not-yet-criminal, and the not-yet-caught.” quote by Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/catherynne-m-valente-375_categories_everyone-is-a-criminal-we-are-beset-on-a_789121.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/catherynne-m-valente-375_categories_everyone-is-a-criminal-we-are-beset-on-a_789121.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/catherynne-m-valente-375_categories_everyone-is-a-criminal-we-are-beset-on-a_789121.png) > “Everyone is a criminal! We are beset on all sides by antirevolutionary forces. Naturally, then, humans fall into three categories: the criminal, the not-yet-criminal, and the not-yet-caught.” [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human society categorizes people as criminals, potential criminals, or uncaught individuals, highlighting pervasive suspicion. **In simple terms:** People are often labeled as criminals or potential threats. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about criminality and justice. Themes justice surveillance trust morality society Mood cautious critical thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - law enforcement - community interactions - online monitoring - political rhetoric Key Concepts social control labeling theory preemptive policing Questions to Reflect On - What are the risks of labeling others as criminals? - How can societies balance safety with fairness? A Different Perspective Overgeneralization can ignore nuance and individual circumstances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Categories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/categories/) [Categories Criminal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/categories-criminal-6064554/) [Caught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caught/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Criminal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal/) [Criminal Beset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-beset-6064555/) [Criminal Criminal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-criminal-2582730/) [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Naturally Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naturally-humans-5461807/) [Sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sides/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) ## Related quotes > [“If a criminal was once a saint and a saint was once a criminal,then who is the criminal and who is the saint”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanchit-gupta/if-a-criminal-was-once-a-saint-and-a-saint-was-once-a-criminal-then/) [Sanchit Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanchit-gupta/) > [Storytelling comes naturally to humans, but since we live in an unnatural world, we sometimes need a little help doing what we'd naturally do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harmon/storytelling-comes-naturally-to-humans-but-since-we-live-in-an/) [Dan Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harmon/) > [“A man is held to be criminal,sometimes, by the great ones of the earth,not because he has committed a crime himself but because he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/a-man-is-held-to-be-criminal-sometimes-by-the-great-ones-of-the-earth/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [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/) > [A military without political training is a potential criminal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sankara/a-military-without-political-training-is-a-potential-criminal/) [Thomas Sankara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sankara/) > [“There have been extensive human rights violations by American psychiatrists over the last 70 years. 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