--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whoever said crime doesn't pay is an…" description: "\"“Whoever said crime doesn't pay is an idiot. It pays great, which is why there is so much of it.”\" — Jay Crownover" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/jay-crownover-2032_crime_whoever-said-crime-doesn-t-pay-is-an-idi_346252.jpg" --- # Whoever said crime doesn't pay is an idiot. It pays great… ![“Whoever said crime doesn't pay is an idiot. It pays great, which is why there is so much of it.” quote by Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/jay-crownover-2032_crime_whoever-said-crime-doesn-t-pay-is-an-idi_346252.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/jay-crownover-2032_crime_whoever-said-crime-doesn-t-pay-is-an-idi_346252.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/jay-crownover-2032_crime_whoever-said-crime-doesn-t-pay-is-an-idi_346252.jpg) > ““Whoever said crime doesn't pay is an idiot. It pays great, which is why there is so much of it.”” [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Crime may seem rewarding, but it ultimately leads to negative consequences for society and the perpetrator. **In simple terms:** Crime appears profitable but is harmful. Key Takeaway Avoid short‑term gains from illegal actions. Themes ethics consequences society law Mood cautious critical Type ethical cautionary When to use this quote - business decisions - personal choices - policy making - education - media representation Key Concepts Moral philosophy risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - What hidden costs do illegal gains hide? - How can societies reduce the allure of quick profit? A Different Perspective It overlooks the long‑term costs and moral damage caused by crime. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Crime Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime-doesn-1621813/) [Crime Doesn'T Pay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime-doesn-t-pay/) [Idiot Pays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiot-pays-3207027/) [Pay Idiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay-idiot-3207028/) [Pays Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pays-great-1813530/) [Said Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-crime-1414261/) ## Related quotes > [My name is R.J. Berger, and crime doesn't pay... at least not for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rj-berger/my-name-is-r-j-berger-and-crime-doesn-t-pay-at-least-not-for-me/) [RJ Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rj-berger/) > [One way to make sure crime doesn't pay would be to let the government run it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/one-way-to-make-sure-crime-doesn-t-pay-would-be-to-let-the-government/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I wanted to show that crime doesn't pay. If you are saved and accept the Lord, you cannot use that as an excuse to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/i-wanted-to-show-that-crime-doesn-t-pay-if-you-are-saved-and-accept/) [Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/) > [I hate this "crime doesn't pay" stuff. Crime in the United States is perhaps one of the biggest businesses in the world today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kirk/i-hate-this-crime-doesn-t-pay-stuff-crime-in-the-united-states-is/) [Peter Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kirk/) > [In the end, crime doesn't pay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lane-garrison/in-the-end-crime-doesn-t-pay/) [Lane Garrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lane-garrison/) > [The reason crime doesn't pay is that when it does, it is called a more respectable name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/the-reason-crime-doesn-t-pay-is-that-when-it-does-it-is-called-a-more/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [All the time I was growing up, I was taught crime doesn't pay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-connors/all-the-time-i-was-growing-up-i-was-taught-crime-doesn-t-pay/) [Mike Connors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-connors/) > [One of the biggest lies in the world is that crime doesn't pay. Of course, crime pays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-gordon-liddy/one-of-the-biggest-lies-in-the-world-is-that-crime-doesn-t-pay-of/) [G. Gordon Liddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-gordon-liddy/) > [“I don't believe it pays to be a great author.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/i-don-t-believe-it-pays-to-be-a-great-author/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [Somebody told me about it when I was still a little boy. He said to me, crime does not pay he said to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucky-dube/somebody-told-me-about-it-when-i-was-still-a-little-boy-he-said-to-me/) [Lucky Dube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucky-dube/) > [Rap is stress, but it pays great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/rap-is-stress-but-it-pays-great/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [What," I said, "is that a crime here or something? Like only buying one thing at the Gas/Gro?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/what-i-said-is-that-a-crime-here-or-something-like-only-buying-one/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [If we go to school to learn, and knowledge is power and power is corrupt and corruption is crime and crime doesn't pay then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-we-go-to-school-to-learn-and-knowledge-is-power-and-power-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Books have knowledge, knowledge is power, power corrupts, corruption is a crime, and crime doesn't pay..so if you keep reading, you'll go broke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/books-and-music-facebook/books-have-knowledge-knowledge-is-power-power-corrupts-corruption-is/) [Books and music. Facebook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/books-and-music-facebook/) > [I really did grow up in a world where we were taught that crime doesn't pay and we stood up when the teacher came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-r-jaffe/i-really-did-grow-up-in-a-world-where-we-were-taught-that-crime-doesn/) [Stanley R. Jaffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-r-jaffe/) ## More by Jay Crownover > [Love doesn’t always have to be spoken out loud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/love-doesn-t-always-have-to-be-spoken-out-loud/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [“there was no way that weapon of mass destruction was going to work its way inside my body.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/there-was-no-way-that-weapon-of-mass-destruction-was-going-to-work/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [“The knuckles of his hand that had Shaw's name inked across them caught my eye. I pointed to them. "You have her with you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/the-knuckles-of-his-hand-that-had-shaw-s-name-inked-across-them/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [“I don’t know, Half-Pint, something tells me reining you in is probably a pretty good time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/i-don-t-know-half-pint-something-tells-me-reining-you-in-is-probably/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [“When a guy like that kisses you, it doesn’t matter if you’re important or special. All that matters is that it’s you he’s kissing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/when-a-guy-like-that-kisses-you-it-doesn-t-matter-if-you-re-important/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [“Love was supposed to make you better, not make you hate the person you became in order to obtain it. His”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/love-was-supposed-to-make-you-better-not-make-you-hate-the-person-you/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [“Sometimes we get more than we asked for because we've settled for less for so long.. When you pay your dues, your bound to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/sometimes-we-get-more-than-we-asked-for-because-we-ve-settled-for/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [“I almost fell off my stool. Not because I didn't think he loved Shaw, or that he would make an awesome husband, but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/i-almost-fell-off-my-stool-not-because-i-didn-t-think-he-loved-shaw/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [“Aren’t all the best songs about a girl? It doesn’t matter if it’s metal, if it’s country, if it’s blues or rock and roll;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/aren-t-all-the-best-songs-about-a-girl-it-doesn-t-matter-if-it-s/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [Being Captain No-Fun really is no fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/being-captain-no-fun-really-is-no-fun/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [“She was also damn cute. Not beautiful or stunningly pretty, but she was cuter than any girl with that much attitude had a right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/she-was-also-damn-cute-not-beautiful-or-stunningly-pretty-but-she-was/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [“Shaw, what if I did love you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/shaw-what-if-i-did-love-you/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [“It seems that what we’ve overcome is what ultimately molded us into the people that we are instead of where we’ve come from.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/it-seems-that-what-we-ve-overcome-is-what-ultimately-molded-us-into/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [“I was a storm cloud that ruined picnics, not something full of warmth and light”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/i-was-a-storm-cloud-that-ruined-picnics-not-something-full-of-warmth/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [“I wasn't sure what I had just agreed to, or what was waiting for me around the next bend. What I did know, could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/i-wasn-t-sure-what-i-had-just-agreed-to-or-what-was-waiting-for-me/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) [Explore all 190 Jay Crownover quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avis-bohlen/) [Browse all 8,359 Crime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Whoever said crime doesn't pay is an idiot. It pays great, which is why there is so much of it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jay Crownover" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/whoever-said-crime-doesn-t-pay-is-an-idiot-it-pays-great-which-is-why/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crime" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/whoever-said-crime-doesn-t-pay-is-an-idiot-it-pays-great-which-is-why/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/jay-crownover-2032_crime_whoever-said-crime-doesn-t-pay-is-an-idi_346252.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/jay-crownover-2032_crime_whoever-said-crime-doesn-t-pay-is-an-idi_346252.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/jay-crownover-2032_crime_whoever-said-crime-doesn-t-pay-is-an-idi_346252.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Whoever said crime doesn't pay is an idiot. It pays great, which is why there is so much of it.” — Jay Crownover", "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": "Jay Crownover", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Whoever said crime doesn't pay is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/whoever-said-crime-doesn-t-pay-is-an-idiot-it-pays-great-which-is-why/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/whoever-said-crime-doesn-t-pay-is-an-idiot-it-pays-great-which-is-why/#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 } } ] } ```