---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Few criminals were as cunning, clever…"
description: "\"“Few criminals were as cunning, clever, bold, or difficult to catch as a maniac with a mission.”\" — Dean Koontz"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5b/dean-koontz-118_crime_few-criminals-were-as-cunning-clever-bol_1370594.jpg"
---

#  Few criminals were as cunning, clever, bold, or difficult…

![“Few criminals were as cunning, clever, bold, or difficult to catch as a maniac with a mission.” quote by Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5b/dean-koontz-118_crime_few-criminals-were-as-cunning-clever-bol_1370594.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5b/dean-koontz-118_crime_few-criminals-were-as-cunning-clever-bol_1370594.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5b/dean-koontz-118_crime_few-criminals-were-as-cunning-clever-bol_1370594.jpg)

> ““Few criminals were as cunning, clever, bold, or difficult to catch as a maniac with a mission.””

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A criminal mastermind with a mission is exceptionally hard to capture.

**In simple terms:** Cunning criminals with purpose evade capture.

Key Takeaway

Study motives behind complex crimes.

Themes

crime cunning mission

Mood

analytical strategic

Type

crime psychological

When to use this quote

- investigations
- risk management

Key Concepts

psychology law enforcement

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives a criminal's mission?
- How can law enforcement adapt?

A Different Perspective

May romanticize criminal behavior.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/)

## Related quotes

> [Thought is so cunning, so clever, that it distorts everything for its own convenience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thought-is-so-cunning-so-clever-that-it-distorts-everything-for-its/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You will need to be as cunning, clever, and ruthless as a con man and a chess master combined to get out of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/you-will-need-to-be-as-cunning-clever-and-ruthless-as-a-con-man-and-a/)

Senoraroy

> [“The divine line "Bitcoin/Cryptocurrency is for criminals" is a cunning defensive strategy created by so called traditional financial services sector.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohith-agadi/the-divine-line-bitcoin-cryptocurrency-is-for-criminals-is-a-cunning/)

[Mohith Agadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohith-agadi/)

> [Every highly successful person is a maniac on a mission. Too much agreement kills a chat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eldridge-cleaver/every-highly-successful-person-is-a-maniac-on-a-mission-too-much/)

[Eldridge Cleaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eldridge-cleaver/)

> [“The art of chess is akin to the art of war itself; full of strategy and cunning, yet clever placements.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-megan-varnadore/the-art-of-chess-is-akin-to-the-art-of-war-itself-full-of-strategy/)

[Jennifer Megan Varnadore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-megan-varnadore/)

> [The problem with movies and books is they make evil look glamorous, exciting, when it's no such thing. It's boring and it's depressing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-problem-with-movies-and-books-is-they-make-evil-look-glamorous/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [In the case of The Thin Blue Line, I was surprised actually by many things. I was shooting down in Texas where the actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/in-the-case-of-the-thin-blue-line-i-was-surprised-actually-by-many/)

[Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/)

> [There are likable characters in prison. Sometimes the worst criminals are also some of the most charming people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taryn-manning/there-are-likable-characters-in-prison-sometimes-the-worst-criminals/)

[Taryn Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taryn-manning/)

> [When the penalty for a policeman's mistake is to put a criminal back out on the street, then we are hurting America; we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/when-the-penalty-for-a-policeman-s-mistake-is-to-put-a-criminal-back/)

[Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/)

> [Too often, we see violent criminals return to the streets they have previously terrorized, only to commit more violent crimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-szeliga/too-often-we-see-violent-criminals-return-to-the-streets-they-have/)

[Kathy Szeliga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-szeliga/)

> [War should be made a crime, and those who instigate it should be punished as criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-evans-hughes/war-should-be-made-a-crime-and-those-who-instigate-it-should-be/)

[Charles Evans Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-evans-hughes/)

> [Sometimes the law defends plunder and participates in it. Sometimes the law places the whole apparatus of judges, police, prisons and gendarmes at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/sometimes-the-law-defends-plunder-and-participates-in-it-sometimes/)

[Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/)

> [“criminals were all derived from the same ethnicity – scumbag”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-h-thomson/criminals-were-all-derived-from-the-same-ethnicity-scumbag/)

[L.H. Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-h-thomson/)

> [There's some criminals that wear badges. Guess what? There's some criminals that work in the media. There's some criminals that are football coaches. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dabo-swinney/there-s-some-criminals-that-wear-badges-guess-what-there-s-some/)

[Dabo Swinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dabo-swinney/)

> [What most needs explanation is not why some people are criminals, but why most people are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-q-wilson/what-most-needs-explanation-is-not-why-some-people-are-criminals-but/)

[James Q. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-q-wilson/)

## More by Dean Koontz

> [“This kind of derangement is emblematic of humankind. Grave faults are said to be only eccentricities, and imperfections are routinely celebrated as mere differences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-kind-of-derangement-is-emblematic-of-humankind-grave-faults-are/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [What really holds their marriage together are mutual respect of an awesome depth, a shared sense of humor, faith that they were brought together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/what-really-holds-their-marriage-together-are-mutual-respect-of-an/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Her mother said that three great powers kept the universe going. The first and the strongest was God. Each of the two additional powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/her-mother-said-that-three-great-powers-kept-the-universe-going-the/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“I stopped keeping an eye out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve because, when I was five, my mother told me that Santa was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-stopped-keeping-an-eye-out-for-santa-claus-on-christmas-eve-because/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“To one degree or another, I have been happy most of my life, in part because the world has infinite charms if you wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/to-one-degree-or-another-i-have-been-happy-most-of-my-life-in-part/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“This life is just a bootcamp, to test and toughen us, to prepare us for the next life of service in some great adventure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-life-is-just-a-bootcamp-to-test-and-toughen-us-to-prepare-us-for/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“A madman should have a madman’s laugh, not the warm chuckle of a favorite uncle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/a-madman-should-have-a-madman-s-laugh-not-the-warm-chuckle-of-a/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Nothing is predetermined for us, and yet all our possible choices are threads in the vast weave of things, so that we have free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/nothing-is-predetermined-for-us-and-yet-all-our-possible-choices-are/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“In fact, time teaches us that the musical score of life oscillates between that of Psycho and that of The Sound of Music, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/in-fact-time-teaches-us-that-the-musical-score-of-life-oscillates/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Some will accuse me of being judgmental. Thank you. And proud of it. You wreck a kid's life, I have no pity for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/some-will-accuse-me-of-being-judgmental-thank-you-and-proud-of-it-you/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Waiting is one of the things that humans beings cannot do well, though it is one of the essential things we must do successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/waiting-is-one-of-the-things-that-humans-beings-cannot-do-well-though/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Dogs know we need to give affection as much as they need to receive it. They were the first therapists; they've been in practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/dogs-know-we-need-to-give-affection-as-much-as-they-need-to-receive/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

[Explore all 1,233 Dean Koontz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

## 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

[Browse all 8,359 Crime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Few criminals were as cunning, clever, bold, or difficult to catch as a maniac with a mission.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dean Koontz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/few-criminals-were-as-cunning-clever-bold-or-difficult-to-catch-as-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Crime"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/few-criminals-were-as-cunning-clever-bold-or-difficult-to-catch-as-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5b/dean-koontz-118_crime_few-criminals-were-as-cunning-clever-bol_1370594.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5b/dean-koontz-118_crime_few-criminals-were-as-cunning-clever-bol_1370594.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5b/dean-koontz-118_crime_few-criminals-were-as-cunning-clever-bol_1370594.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Few criminals were as cunning, clever, bold, or difficult to catch as a maniac with a mission.” — Dean Koontz",
                "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": "Dean Koontz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Few criminals were as cunning, clever,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/few-criminals-were-as-cunning-clever-bold-or-difficult-to-catch-as-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/few-criminals-were-as-cunning-clever-bold-or-difficult-to-catch-as-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
