--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You see, Mr. Snowden, the Constitution…" description: "\"“You see, Mr. Snowden, the Constitution says, quite clearly, that you cannot imprison a poor person for failing to pay his debts. I don’t expect you to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/john-grisham-974_poor-person_you-see-mr-snowden-the-constitution-says_2363853.jpg" --- # You see, Mr. Snowden, the Constitution says, quite… ![“You see, Mr. Snowden, the Constitution says, quite clearly, that you cannot imprison a poor person for failing to pay his debts. I don’t expect you to know this because you work for a bunch of crooks. However, trust me on this, the federal judges understand it because they’ve read the…” quote by John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/john-grisham-974_poor-person_you-see-mr-snowden-the-constitution-says_2363853.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/john-grisham-974_poor-person_you-see-mr-snowden-the-constitution-says_2363853.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/john-grisham-974_poor-person_you-see-mr-snowden-the-constitution-says_2363853.jpg) > ““You see, Mr. Snowden, the Constitution says, quite clearly, that you cannot imprison a poor person for failing to pay his debts. I don’t expect you to know this because you work for a bunch of crooks. However, trust me on this, the federal judges understand it because they’ve read the Constitution, most of them anyway. Debtors’ prisons are illegal. Ever heard of the Equal Protection Clause?”” [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Constitution protects debtors from imprisonment; the speaker accuses the system of ignoring this. **In simple terms:** Debtors cannot be jailed for unpaid debts. Key Takeaway Know your constitutional rights. Themes law justice debt constitution rights Mood informative cautious Type legal educational When to use this quote - facing debt - court appearances - legal defense Key Concepts equal protection legal loopholes civil liberties Questions to Reflect On - Are debtor protections enforced uniformly? - What recourse exists when rights are violated? A Different Perspective Enforcement may vary; some judges ignore protections. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Constitution Debtors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution-debtors-5798126/) [Constitution Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution-says/) [Debtors Prisons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debtors-prisons-4995971/) [Poor Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-person/) [Prisons Illegal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisons-illegal-5798128/) [Snowden Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snowden-constitution-5798127/) ## Related quotes > [Until 1869, when they were banned, debtors' prisons were the great incinerators of British reputations. 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The Constitution says that government isn't supposed to be infusing religion into our society, and so I asked to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-newdow/i-believe-in-the-constitution-the-constitution-says-that-government/) [Michael Newdow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-newdow/) > [There is no asterisk in the Constitution that says 'except for hate speech.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-colmes/there-is-no-asterisk-in-the-constitution-that-says-except-for-hate/) [Alan Colmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-colmes/) > [There's no religious test under the constitution. That's what it says. Period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/there-s-no-religious-test-under-the-constitution-that-s-what-it-says/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [If the Constitution says that the little guy should win, the little guy is going to win in court before me, ... But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/if-the-constitution-says-that-the-little-guy-should-win-the-little/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [The Constitution says that troops can be in the Philippines if there's a treaty that provides for it, and we have two treaties with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-macapagal-arroyo/the-constitution-says-that-troops-can-be-in-the-philippines-if-there/) [Gloria Macapagal Arroyo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-macapagal-arroyo/) > [Our State Constitution says that 'the people of this State have the sole and exclusive right of governing themselves as a free, sovereign, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sununu/our-state-constitution-says-that-the-people-of-this-state-have-the/) [Chris Sununu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sununu/) > [“With school turning out more runners, jumpers, racers, tinkerers, grabbers, snatchers, fliers, and swimmers instead of examiners, critics, knowers, and imaginative creators, the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/with-school-turning-out-more-runners-jumpers-racers-tinkerers/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“And wasn't it this bright boy you selected for beating and tortures after hours? Of course it was. We must all be alike. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/and-wasn-t-it-this-bright-boy-you-selected-for-beating-and-tortures/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We have laws against torture. The Constitution says nothing whatever about torture. It speaks of punishment; 'cruel and unusual' punishments are forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/we-have-laws-against-torture-the-constitution-says-nothing-whatever/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [If the Constitution says that marriage is between a man and woman, then things that are inconsistent with that would be inconsistent with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/if-the-constitution-says-that-marriage-is-between-a-man-and-woman/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) ## More by John Grisham > [“Do you read them? Faulkner, Hemingway, Fitzgerald?" "Only if I have to. I try to avoid old dead white men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/do-you-read-them-faulkner-hemingway-fitzgerald-only-if-i-have-to-i/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“Cuando duermes, engañas al sistema. El tiempo del sueño te pertenece a ti y no al Estado.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/cuando-duermes-enga-as-al-sistema-el-tiempo-del-sue-o-te-pertenece-a/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“The Senator did not know who owned the jet, nor had he ever met Mr. Trudeau, which in most cultures would seem odd since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/the-senator-did-not-know-who-owned-the-jet-nor-had-he-ever-met-mr/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“What kind of name is Siler-Spence? I mean, what's wrong with these women who use hyphens? 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These are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/sometimes-i-can-tackle-an-issue-homelessness-tobacco-litigation/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“So why do these guys hate your guts?” “Because they believe strip-mining is a good thing. It provides jobs, and there are few jobs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/so-why-do-these-guys-hate-your-guts-because-they-believe-strip-mining/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“In little pockets of conversation, old men were telling stories of ancient floods. Women were talking of about how much rain there'd been in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/in-little-pockets-of-conversation-old-men-were-telling-stories-of/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) [Explore all 316 John Grisham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) ## More Poor Person quotes > [I'm a big game show fan. When you're a poor person, you watch game shows. I don't think people realize that. Maybe everybody watches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-anderson/i-m-a-big-game-show-fan-when-you-re-a-poor-person-you-watch-game/) [Louie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-anderson/) > [It’s never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/it-s-never-an-insult-to-be-called-what-somebody-thinks-is-a-bad-name/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [I went to university with no money. I can't understand a society that wouldn't give a poor person the same opportunity as a rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/i-went-to-university-with-no-money-i-can-t-understand-a-society-that/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [I've had my share of problems along the way. Don't get me wrong, because there is no school for this. You go from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-harvey/i-ve-had-my-share-of-problems-along-the-way-don-t-get-me-wrong/) [Steve Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-harvey/) > [If there are people who feel that God wants them to change the structures of society, that is something between them and their God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/if-there-are-people-who-feel-that-god-wants-them-to-change-the/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [Whenever I travel to a poor country, I try to help at least one person. Usually, that person helps me just as much -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/whenever-i-travel-to-a-poor-country-i-try-to-help-at-least-one-person/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [“When I see a poor person I think of me, and then I think, maybe I should pay my clones for all the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/when-i-see-a-poor-person-i-think-of-me-and-then-i-think-maybe-i/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [But the poor person does not exist as an inescapable fact of destiny. His or her existence is not politically neutral, and it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustavo-gutierrez/but-the-poor-person-does-not-exist-as-an-inescapable-fact-of-destiny/) [Gustavo Gutiérrez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustavo-gutierrez/) > [Let us remember there is not a poor person in the United States who was not made poor by his own shortcomings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-conwell/let-us-remember-there-is-not-a-poor-person-in-the-united-states-who/) [Russell Conwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-conwell/) > [“You are then like an apparently poor person who does not know he has a bank account with $100 million in it and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/you-are-then-like-an-apparently-poor-person-who-does-not-know-he-has/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [I would like to live like a poor person with a lot of money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/i-would-like-to-live-like-a-poor-person-with-a-lot-of-money/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [As a poor person and someone who now writes extensively about social and economic justice, I've often noticed a lack of a focus on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-land/as-a-poor-person-and-someone-who-now-writes-extensively-about-social/) [Stephanie Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-land/) > [“To many an upright poor person, it seems needless to invent a god who will wash the feet of beggars and exalt those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/to-many-an-upright-poor-person-it-seems-needless-to-invent-a-god-who/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I'm a poor person who has money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/i-m-a-poor-person-who-has-money/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [“Reformers must be able to pre-empt the expected jibes over lack of ‘reciprocity’, affordability, inducement to laziness, ‘something for nothing’ and cash for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/reformers-must-be-able-to-pre-empt-the-expected-jibes-over-lack-of/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) [Browse all 97 Poor Person quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-person/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You see, Mr. Snowden, the Constitution says, quite clearly, that you cannot imprison a poor person for failing to pay his debts. 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