--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Then the bandit turned tail and broke for…" description: "\"“Then the bandit turned tail and broke for the open. Greeley hit the sidewalk only seconds after him, big as he was and with a panic-stricken woman to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/cornell-woolrich-2734_bandit_then-the-bandit-turned-tail-and-broke-fo_987766.jpg" --- # Then the bandit turned tail and broke for the open… ![“Then the bandit turned tail and broke for the open. Greeley hit the sidewalk only seconds after him, big as he was and with a panic-stricken woman to detour around. A slice of hindmost heel was all he saw of the man. The store entrance adjoined a corner; that gave the fugitive a few added seconds…” quote by Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/cornell-woolrich-2734_bandit_then-the-bandit-turned-tail-and-broke-fo_987766.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/cornell-woolrich-2734_bandit_then-the-bandit-turned-tail-and-broke-fo_987766.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/cornell-woolrich-2734_bandit_then-the-bandit-turned-tail-and-broke-fo_987766.jpg) > ““Then the bandit turned tail and broke for the open. Greeley hit the sidewalk only seconds after him, big as he was and with a panic-stricken woman to detour around. A slice of hindmost heel was all he saw of the man. The store entrance adjoined a corner; that gave the fugitive a few added seconds of shelter, and as Greeley flashed around it in turn, again the breaks were the lawbreaker's. There was a school midway up the street toward the next avenue. It was a couple of minutes past three now, and a torrent of young humanity came pouring out of the building by every staircase and exit, flooding the street. In through them the sprinting man plunged, knocking over right and left the ones that didn't get out of his way quickly enough. If it had been hazardous to take a shot at him in the store, it would have been criminal out here. The kids parted, screaming in delighted excitement, as Greeley tore through them after the bandit with uptilted gun, but he couldn't just callously knock them flat like the man before him had. He sidestepped, got out of their way as often as they did his, and he began to fall behind the other, lose ground. The kids weren't just on that one street - they had dispersed over the entire vicinity by now, for a radius of a block or more in every direction, in frisky, milling, homeward-bound groups. Through them the quarry zigzagged, pulling slowly but surely away. He kept going in a straight line, because it was to his advantage to do so - the presence of these kids made for greater safety - but he was already far enough in the lead so that when he should finally decide to turn off - the answer was pretty obvious; a taxi or a doorway or a basement. Any of them would do. ("Detective William Brown")”” [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A detective pursues a fleeing criminal through a crowded street, balancing pursuit with the safety of by children around him. **In simple terms:** The chase is complicated by innocent bystanders, requiring careful navigation. Key Takeaway Prioritize protecting innocents while maintaining focus on the goal. Themes justice danger civilians pursuit ethics Mood tense urgent reflective Type narrative ethical action When to use this quote - Police work - crowded public spaces - high‑speed pursuit Key Concepts Moral dilemma risk assessment urban chase Questions to Reflect On - How do you protect bystanders in dangerous situations? - When must you abandon a chase to avoid collateral harm? A Different Perspective Balancing mission objectives with civilian safety can be impossible. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Burglary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burglary/) [Cops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cops/) [Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police/) [Straight line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straight-line/) ## Related quotes > [I'm the young city bandit, hold myself down singlehanded For murder raps, I kick my thoughts alone, get remanded Born alone, die alone, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-m-the-young-city-bandit-hold-myself-down-singlehanded-for-murder/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [Truth and History. 21 Men. The Boy Bandit King - He Died As He Lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-the-kid/truth-and-history-21-men-the-boy-bandit-king-he-died-as-he-lived/) [Billy the Kid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-the-kid/) > [Smokey and The Bandit was just a lark. All we did was run up and down those Georgia roads wrecking cars and having the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-reed/smokey-and-the-bandit-was-just-a-lark-all-we-did-was-run-up-and-down/) [Jerry Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-reed/) > [Bob Taylor and I playing brothers. And I was a Mexican bandit. And he was the sheriff of the town. And we loved each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-quinn/bob-taylor-and-i-playing-brothers-and-i-was-a-mexican-bandit-and-he/) [Anthony Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-quinn/) > [ I'm really much more like Phil Potter from \[the 1979 film\] Starting Over. People do think I'm the Bandit \[from Smokey and the Bandit… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-reynolds/i-m-really-much-more-like-phil-potter-from-the-1979-film-starting/) [Burt Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-reynolds/) > [Time -- when pursued like a bandit -- will behave like one; always remaining one country or one room ahead of you, changing its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/time-when-pursued-like-a-bandit-will-behave-like-one-always-remaining/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I was very struck by the fact that Robin Hood became increasingly taken over by the middle and upper classes. He starts out a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-farr/i-was-very-struck-by-the-fact-that-robin-hood-became-increasingly/) [David Farr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-farr/) > [I can't bear art that you can walk round and admire. A book should be either a bandit or a rebel or a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-t-bear-art-that-you-can-walk-round-and-admire-a-book-should-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I lean up on my elbows and see Luke and Bessie,who trump both the stick and me as Bandit races toward them, Bessie already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alecia-whitaker/i-lean-up-on-my-elbows-and-see-luke-and-bessie-who-trump-both-the/) [Alecia Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alecia-whitaker/) > [Sperm is a bandit in its pure state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/sperm-is-a-bandit-in-its-pure-state/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [As a director, my job is to spend money, and the producer's is to save money. Masoom, Bandit Queen and the first Queen Elizabeth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shekhar-kapur/as-a-director-my-job-is-to-spend-money-and-the-producer-s-is-to-save/) [Shekhar Kapur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shekhar-kapur/) > [Yes, I was called the 'Bandit Queen' at my home and in the neighbourhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mimi-chakraborty/yes-i-was-called-the-bandit-queen-at-my-home-and-in-the-neighbourhood/) [Mimi Chakraborty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mimi-chakraborty/) > [It's one thing to be helpless as one tries to lace a corset or to mount an elephant, quite another to be helpless as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-speed/it-s-one-thing-to-be-helpless-as-one-tries-to-lace-a-corset-or-to/) [John Speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-speed/) > [ Smokey and the Bandit was the first picture \[Hal Needham \] directed, and I knew he could handle it. I had just directed Gator,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-reynolds/smokey-and-the-bandit-was-the-first-picture-hal-needham-directed-and/) [Burt Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-reynolds/) > [“My little Bandit. My goddamn ruin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-lake/my-little-bandit-my-goddamn-ruin/) [Keri Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-lake/) ## More by Cornell Woolrich > [“He should have caught up with me inside of fifteen minutes at the outside, if he'd been able to get on the next train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/he-should-have-caught-up-with-me-inside-of-fifteen-minutes-at-the/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [“Home? What is home? Home is where a house is that you come back to when the rainy season is about to begin, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/home-what-is-home-home-is-where-a-house-is-that-you-come-back-to-when/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [“Gates got up, but not fast or jerkily, with the same slowness that had always characterized him. He wiped the sweat off his palms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/gates-got-up-but-not-fast-or-jerkily-with-the-same-slowness-that-had/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [“As the bartender struck a match to light her cigarette, she put her hand on his wrist to steady it. Travis saw him jump,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/as-the-bartender-struck-a-match-to-light-her-cigarette-she-put-her/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [“That was enough dialogue for a few pages - he had to get into some fast, red-hot action. There weren't any more hitches now.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/that-was-enough-dialogue-for-a-few-pages-he-had-to-get-into-some-fast/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [“Murder is such an elastic term, isn't it? ("Mind Over Murder")”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/murder-is-such-an-elastic-term-isn-t-it-mind-over-murder/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [“She was beautiful, only hers was the dark beauty of night, just as Sherry's was the bright beauty of daytime. Her hair was raven-black,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/she-was-beautiful-only-hers-was-the-dark-beauty-of-night-just-as/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [“And I still say it was just a coincidence;' he muttered pugnaciously. 'You say it too! Look at me and say it! It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/and-i-still-say-it-was-just-a-coincidence-he-muttered-pugnaciously/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [“And then finally she came - and the whole world faded out around us and we were just alone on the crowded sidewalk. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/and-then-finally-she-came-and-the-whole-world-faded-out-around-us-and/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [“One of the two owners, the man who had been sitting in the front room, was stretched out in there asleep, stockinged-toes pointed at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/one-of-the-two-owners-the-man-who-had-been-sitting-in-the-front-room/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [“But that's the Way, and there is no other. And once his mind's made up, the trembling and aimless walking stops, and he can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/but-that-s-the-way-and-there-is-no-other-and-once-his-mind-s-made-up/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [“He just lingers long enough to see his plane put to bed properly, then grabs a cab at the airport-gate. "The Settlement" and forgetting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/he-just-lingers-long-enough-to-see-his-plane-put-to-bed-properly-then/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [“There was a pause, while I fought against this other, lesser kind of death that was creeping over me - this death called strangeness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/there-was-a-pause-while-i-fought-against-this-other-lesser-kind-of/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [“Every life is a mystery. And every story of every life is a mystery. But it is not what happens that is the mystery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/every-life-is-a-mystery-and-every-story-of-every-life-is-a-mystery/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [“Evans made himself their spokesman. "Charlie and Joe," he offered. "Remember us? We brought a friend back with us this time." Girls evidently didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/evans-made-himself-their-spokesman-charlie-and-joe-he-offered/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) [Explore all 152 Cornell Woolrich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) ## More Bandit quotes > [I'm the young city bandit, hold myself down singlehanded For murder raps, I kick my thoughts alone, get remanded Born alone, die alone, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-m-the-young-city-bandit-hold-myself-down-singlehanded-for-murder/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [ Smokey and the Bandit was the first picture \[Hal Needham \] directed, and I knew he could handle it. I had just directed Gator,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-reynolds/smokey-and-the-bandit-was-the-first-picture-hal-needham-directed-and/) [Burt Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-reynolds/) > [It's one thing to be helpless as one tries to lace a corset or to mount an elephant, quite another to be helpless as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-speed/it-s-one-thing-to-be-helpless-as-one-tries-to-lace-a-corset-or-to/) [John Speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-speed/) > [Yes, I was called the 'Bandit Queen' at my home and in the neighbourhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mimi-chakraborty/yes-i-was-called-the-bandit-queen-at-my-home-and-in-the-neighbourhood/) [Mimi Chakraborty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mimi-chakraborty/) > [As a director, my job is to spend money, and the producer's is to save money. Masoom, Bandit Queen and the first Queen Elizabeth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shekhar-kapur/as-a-director-my-job-is-to-spend-money-and-the-producer-s-is-to-save/) [Shekhar Kapur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shekhar-kapur/) > [Sperm is a bandit in its pure state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/sperm-is-a-bandit-in-its-pure-state/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [“I lean up on my elbows and see Luke and Bessie,who trump both the stick and me as Bandit races toward them, Bessie already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alecia-whitaker/i-lean-up-on-my-elbows-and-see-luke-and-bessie-who-trump-both-the/) [Alecia Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alecia-whitaker/) > [I can't bear art that you can walk round and admire. A book should be either a bandit or a rebel or a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-t-bear-art-that-you-can-walk-round-and-admire-a-book-should-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was very struck by the fact that Robin Hood became increasingly taken over by the middle and upper classes. He starts out a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-farr/i-was-very-struck-by-the-fact-that-robin-hood-became-increasingly/) [David Farr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-farr/) > [Time -- when pursued like a bandit -- will behave like one; always remaining one country or one room ahead of you, changing its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/time-when-pursued-like-a-bandit-will-behave-like-one-always-remaining/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [ I'm really much more like Phil Potter from \[the 1979 film\] Starting Over. People do think I'm the Bandit \[from Smokey and the Bandit… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-reynolds/i-m-really-much-more-like-phil-potter-from-the-1979-film-starting/) [Burt Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-reynolds/) > [Bob Taylor and I playing brothers. And I was a Mexican bandit. And he was the sheriff of the town. And we loved each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-quinn/bob-taylor-and-i-playing-brothers-and-i-was-a-mexican-bandit-and-he/) [Anthony Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-quinn/) > [Smokey and The Bandit was just a lark. All we did was run up and down those Georgia roads wrecking cars and having the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-reed/smokey-and-the-bandit-was-just-a-lark-all-we-did-was-run-up-and-down/) [Jerry Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-reed/) > [Truth and History. 21 Men. The Boy Bandit King - He Died As He Lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-the-kid/truth-and-history-21-men-the-boy-bandit-king-he-died-as-he-lived/) [Billy the Kid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-the-kid/) > [“My little Bandit. My goddamn ruin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-lake/my-little-bandit-my-goddamn-ruin/) [Keri Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-lake/) Browse all 40 Bandit quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Then the bandit turned tail and broke for the open. Greeley hit the sidewalk only seconds after him, big as he was and with a panic-stricken woman to detour around. A slice of hindmost heel was all he saw of the man. The store entrance adjoined a corner; that gave the fugitive a few added seconds of shelter, and as Greeley flashed around it in turn, again the breaks were the lawbreaker's. There was a school midway up the street toward the next avenue. It was a couple of minutes past three now, and a torrent of young humanity came pouring out of the building by every staircase and exit, flooding the street. In through them the sprinting man plunged, knocking over right and left the ones that didn't get out of his way quickly enough. If it had been hazardous to take a shot at him in the store, it would have been criminal out here. The kids parted, screaming in delighted excitement, as Greeley tore through them after the bandit with uptilted gun, but he couldn't just callously knock them flat like the man before him had. He sidestepped, got out of their way as often as they did his, and he began to fall behind the other, lose ground. The kids weren't just on that one street - they had dispersed over the entire vicinity by now, for a radius of a block or more in every direction, in frisky, milling, homeward-bound groups. Through them the quarry zigzagged, pulling slowly but surely away. He kept going in a straight line, because it was to his advantage to do so - the presence of these kids made for greater safety - but he was already far enough in the lead so that when he should finally decide to turn off - the answer was pretty obvious; a taxi or a doorway or a basement. Any of them would do. 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