--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I long for the days of good honest crooks." description: "\"I long for the days of good honest crooks.\" — Edward Bates" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/edward-bates-78244_crooks_i-long-for-the-days-of-good-honest-crook_783223.png" --- # I long for the days of good honest crooks. ![“I long for the days of good honest crooks.” quote by Edward Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/edward-bates-78244_crooks_i-long-for-the-days-of-good-honest-crook_783223.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/edward-bates-78244_crooks_i-long-for-the-days-of-good-honest-crook_783223.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/edward-bates-78244_crooks_i-long-for-the-days-of-good-honest-crook_783223.png) > “I long for the days of good honest crooks.” Edward Bates ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A nostalgic yearning for a time when dishonest people were still trustworthy in their own way. **In simple terms:** Missing the paradox of honest crooks. Key Takeaway Recognize the complexity of moral character. Themes nostalgia morality paradox Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reflecting on past relationships - literary analysis - ethical discussions Key Concepts ethical ambiguity human nature Questions to Reflect On - What does “honest crook” mean to you? - Can integrity exist in deception? A Different Perspective Idealizing the past can overlook present realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crooks/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) ## Related quotes > [“It's a bore, but the answer is good things only happen to you if you're good. Good? Honest is more what I mean. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/it-s-a-bore-but-the-answer-is-good-things-only-happen-to-you-if-you/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [I'm good at what I do but, to be honest, not a whole hell of a lot else!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-m-good-at-what-i-do-but-to-be-honest-not-a-whole-hell-of-a-lot-else/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [An honest man is all right even if he's an idiot...but a crook must have brains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxim-gorky/an-honest-man-is-all-right-even-if-he-s-an-idiot-but-a-crook-must/) [Maxim Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxim-gorky/) > [Ammh;i treat people real good...its part of me...i am honest too about how I feel with those I meet...if I like you;swit of me...but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winnie-victoria/ammh-i-treat-people-real-good-its-part-of-me-i-am-honest-too-about/) Winnie Victoria > [“The answer is good things only happen to you if you're good. Good? Honest is more what I mean... Be anything but a coward,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/the-answer-is-good-things-only-happen-to-you-if-you-re-good-good/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [I am not a weirdo, a wacko, or an eccentric for wanting to do good, honest work on a day-to-day basis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-trudeau/i-am-not-a-weirdo-a-wacko-or-an-eccentric-for-wanting-to-do-good/) [Margaret Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-trudeau/) > [I prefer to believe that people are good and honest and respect me enough to tell me the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhiess-krieg/i-prefer-to-believe-that-people-are-good-and-honest-and-respect-me-2/) [Jhiess Krieg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhiess-krieg/) > [Be good and honest to your fellow man and try to do something good for somebody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/be-good-and-honest-to-your-fellow-man-and-try-to-do-something-good/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [I prefer to believe that people are good and honest and respect me enough to tell me the truth. It's not easy to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-prefer-to-believe-that-people-are-good-and-honest-and-respect-me/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [The good four. Honest with ourselves and with whatever is friend to us; courageous toward the enemy; generous toward the vanquished; polite-always that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-good-four-honest-with-ourselves-and-with-whatever-is-friend-to-us/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [It sure looks good to see an honest-to-goodness audience after looking at you all for so long from the silver screen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hattie-mcdaniel/it-sure-looks-good-to-see-an-honest-to-goodness-audience-after/) [Hattie McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hattie-mcdaniel/) > [It's good to be honest about your past mistakes and what you've done unlike those who act so innocent but a devil in disguise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-good-to-be-honest-about-your-past-mistakes-and-what-you-ve-done/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He was so good and honest. Why couldn't I love him instead?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-glines/he-was-so-good-and-honest-why-couldn-t-i-love-him-instead/) [Abbi Glines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-glines/) > [“...as we know, Christian charity has always been able to make allowances for a lot of good honest hatred,...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/as-we-know-christian-charity-has-always-been-able-to-make-allowances/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“The answer is good things only happen to you if you're good. Good? Honest is more what I mean... Be anything but a coward,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/the-answer-is-good-things-only-happen-to-you-if-you-re-good-good-2/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) ## More by Edward Bates > [Ambition is a passion, at once strong and insidious, and is very apt to cheat a man out of his happiness and his true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bates/ambition-is-a-passion-at-once-strong-and-insidious-and-is-very-apt-to/) Edward Bates > [ “ \[Mr. Bates comments on the description of Robespierre in History of the French Revolution by M. J. L. Adolphe Thiers\] He was a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bates/mr-bates-comments-on-the-description-of-robespierre-in-history-of-the/) Edward Bates Explore all 3 Edward Bates quotes ## More Crooks quotes > [By hook or by crook, we're going to make sure that when I leave this office, that the country is more prosperous, more people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/by-hook-or-by-crook-we-re-going-to-make-sure-that-when-i-leave-this/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [An honest man is all right even if he's an idiot...but a crook must have brains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxim-gorky/an-honest-man-is-all-right-even-if-he-s-an-idiot-but-a-crook-must/) [Maxim Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxim-gorky/) > [It's always amusing to see how much less the political class knows than the rest of us do. ... it's never occurred to \[the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-d-cox/it-s-always-amusing-to-see-how-much-less-the-political-class-knows/) Stephen D. Cox > [“pissed at Phillip, but he doesn’t seem to care. He grins, then crooks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-dodd/pissed-at-phillip-but-he-doesn-t-seem-to-care-he-grins-then-crooks/) [Jillian Dodd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-dodd/) > [In Egypt the staff was rendered as a shepherd's crook that was a symbol for the pharaohs, the Druids of Egypt. The pharaohs wore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tsarion/in-egypt-the-staff-was-rendered-as-a-shepherd-s-crook-that-was-a/) [Michael Tsarion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tsarion/) > [I made my mistakes, but in all of my years in public life, I have never profited, never profited from public serviceI have earned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/i-made-my-mistakes-but-in-all-of-my-years-in-public-life-i-have-never/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [She bent her finger and then straightened it. The mystery was in the instant before it moved, the dividing moment between not moving and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/she-bent-her-finger-and-then-straightened-it-the-mystery-was-in-the/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I don't break the law\* made for crooks, when I take away my own property - thus I am not obliged to conform to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/i-don-t-break-the-law-made-for-crooks-when-i-take-away-my-own/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [We, as black people, we have a lot of crooks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/we-as-black-people-we-have-a-lot-of-crooks/) [Charles Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-barkley/) > [In the first place, most princes apply themselves to the arts of war, in which I have neither ability nor interest, instead of to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-more/in-the-first-place-most-princes-apply-themselves-to-the-arts-of-war/) [Thomas More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-more/) > [Me? Well, I don't know, I must go to a dictionary and learn what a crook is. I've never been a crook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-zuma/me-well-i-don-t-know-i-must-go-to-a-dictionary-and-learn-what-a-crook/) [Jacob Zuma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-zuma/) > [I'm straightforward with my kids, I take my kids out and I bring my daughter to dance lessons. I'm teaching my son how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-ford/i-m-straightforward-with-my-kids-i-take-my-kids-out-and-i-bring-my/) [Rob Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-ford/) > [We're victims, and we're portrayed as crooks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-pilatus/we-re-victims-and-we-re-portrayed-as-crooks/) [Rob Pilatus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-pilatus/) > [The Lady Amalthea beckoned, and the cat wriggled all over, like a dog, but he would not come near... She was offering her open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/the-lady-amalthea-beckoned-and-the-cat-wriggled-all-over-like-a-dog/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [I happen to think that Jesus was the greatest hero of all time. I don't think you could invent that kind of a hero.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-capra/i-happen-to-think-that-jesus-was-the-greatest-hero-of-all-time-i-don/) [Frank Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-capra/) [Browse all 151 Crooks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crooks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I long for the days of good honest crooks.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Bates" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bates/i-long-for-the-days-of-good-honest-crooks/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crooks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bates/i-long-for-the-days-of-good-honest-crooks/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/edward-bates-78244_crooks_i-long-for-the-days-of-good-honest-crook_783223.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/edward-bates-78244_crooks_i-long-for-the-days-of-good-honest-crook_783223.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3a/edward-bates-78244_crooks_i-long-for-the-days-of-good-honest-crook_783223.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I long for the days of good honest crooks.” — Edward Bates", "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": "Edward Bates", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bates/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I long for the days of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bates/i-long-for-the-days-of-good-honest-crooks/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bates/i-long-for-the-days-of-good-honest-crooks/#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 } } ] } ```