---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every time an ashtray is missing from a…"
description: "\"Every time an ashtray is missing from a hotel, they don't come looking for you. But let a diamond bracelet disappear in France and they shout John Robi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e50/john-michael-hayes-45857_ashtrays_every-time-an-ashtray-is-missing-from-a_769148.jpg"
---

#  Every time an ashtray is missing from a hotel, they don't…

![“Every time an ashtray is missing from a hotel, they don't come looking for you. But let a diamond bracelet disappear in France and they shout John Robie, the Cat. You don't have to spend every day of your life proving your honesty, but I do.” quote by John Michael Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e50/john-michael-hayes-45857_ashtrays_every-time-an-ashtray-is-missing-from-a_769148.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e50/john-michael-hayes-45857_ashtrays_every-time-an-ashtray-is-missing-from-a_769148.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e50/john-michael-hayes-45857_ashtrays_every-time-an-ashtray-is-missing-from-a_769148.jpg)

> “Every time an ashtray is missing from a hotel, they don't come looking for you. But let a diamond bracelet disappear in France and they shout John Robie, the Cat. You don't have to spend every day of your life proving your honesty, but I do.”

[John Michael Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-michael-hayes/)

## About This Quote

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

Societal double standards expose inequities in justice and value judgments.

**In simple terms:** Justice is applied unevenly.

Key Takeaway

Question unfair treatment.

Themes

justice inequality hypocrisy

Mood

critical concerned

Type

social commentary

When to use this quote

- legal advocacy
- media analysis
- personal integrity
- activism

Key Concepts

social critique ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do some crimes receive more attention than others?
- How can individuals confront double standards?

A Different Perspective

Changing systemic bias requires collective effort, not just individual honesty.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ashtray Missing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashtray-missing-5949113/) [Ashtrays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashtrays/) [Bracelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bracelet/) [Bracelet Disappear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bracelet-disappear-5949112/) [Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) [Day Of Your Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-of-your-life/) [Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diamond/) [Disappear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappear/) [Disappear France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappear-france-5949111/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/france/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) [Hotel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hotel/) [Missing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing/) [Prove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prove/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [You know Kim Jong Un, the evil dictator of North Korea? Apparently, a guy in his inner circle used his ashtray while smoking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/you-know-kim-jong-un-the-evil-dictator-of-north-korea-apparently-a/)

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> [There were moments ... when it seemed that all one could be asked was just to keep the ashtrays clean, the bed made, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/there-were-moments-when-it-seemed-that-all-one-could-be-asked-was/)

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> [Hands, matches, an ashtray. A ritual beautiful and bitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-akhmatova/hands-matches-an-ashtray-a-ritual-beautiful-and-bitter/)

[Anna Akhmatova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-akhmatova/)

> [Junior colleges are high schools with ashtrays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-carolla/junior-colleges-are-high-schools-with-ashtrays/)

[Adam Carolla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-carolla/)

> [Let's try and create scenes that are about something... About something deeper than this ashtray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-de-maat/let-s-try-and-create-scenes-that-are-about-something-about-something/)

[Martin de Maat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-de-maat/)

> [I've used soap dishes as ashtrays in the best hotels in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-waitt/i-ve-used-soap-dishes-as-ashtrays-in-the-best-hotels-in-the-world/)

[Ted Waitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-waitt/)

> [Grab something off the shelf that's on the spaceship-an ashtray, it doesn't matter what. Because I can tell you, if they flew here from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/grab-something-off-the-shelf-that-s-on-the-spaceship-an-ashtray-it/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [We were so poor; the ultimate luxury in our house at the time was ashtrays without advertisements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/we-were-so-poor-the-ultimate-luxury-in-our-house-at-the-time-was/)

[Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/)

> [British scientists have demonstrated that cigarettes can harm your children. Fair enough. Use an ashtray!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carr/british-scientists-have-demonstrated-that-cigarettes-can-harm-your/)

[Jimmy Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carr/)

> [ Writing a play is like smashing that \[glass\] ashtray, filming it in slow motion, and then running the film in reverse, so that the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/writing-a-play-is-like-smashing-that-glass-ashtray-filming-it-in-slow/)

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> [The sky was so clear that the starlight cast shadows, and so many sparkles and glitters and glints appeared above us that it looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-sky-was-so-clear-that-the-starlight-cast-shadows-and-so-many/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [Kissing a smoker is like licking an ashtray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-rowland/kissing-a-smoker-is-like-licking-an-ashtray/)

[Helen Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-rowland/)

> [“all people start to come apart finally and there it is: just empty ashtrays in a room or wisps of hair on a comb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/all-people-start-to-come-apart-finally-and-there-it-is-just-empty/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [Today I know that all things are watching, that nothing goes unseen, that even wallpaper has a better memory than human beings. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/today-i-know-that-all-things-are-watching-that-nothing-goes-unseen-2/)

[Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/)

## More by John Michael Hayes

> [Where does a man get inspiration to write a song like that? Well, he gets it from the landlady once a month.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-michael-hayes/where-does-a-man-get-inspiration-to-write-a-song-like-that-well-he/)

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[Explore all 8 John Michael Hayes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-michael-hayes/)

## More Ashtrays quotes

> [You know Kim Jong Un, the evil dictator of North Korea? Apparently, a guy in his inner circle used his ashtray while smoking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/you-know-kim-jong-un-the-evil-dictator-of-north-korea-apparently-a/)

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> [ Writing a play is like smashing that \[glass\] ashtray, filming it in slow motion, and then running the film in reverse, so that the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/writing-a-play-is-like-smashing-that-glass-ashtray-filming-it-in-slow/)

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[Jimmy Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carr/)

> [We were so poor; the ultimate luxury in our house at the time was ashtrays without advertisements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/we-were-so-poor-the-ultimate-luxury-in-our-house-at-the-time-was/)

[Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/)

> [Grab something off the shelf that's on the spaceship-an ashtray, it doesn't matter what. Because I can tell you, if they flew here from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/grab-something-off-the-shelf-that-s-on-the-spaceship-an-ashtray-it/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [I've used soap dishes as ashtrays in the best hotels in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-waitt/i-ve-used-soap-dishes-as-ashtrays-in-the-best-hotels-in-the-world/)

[Ted Waitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-waitt/)

> [Let's try and create scenes that are about something... About something deeper than this ashtray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-de-maat/let-s-try-and-create-scenes-that-are-about-something-about-something/)

[Martin de Maat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-de-maat/)

> [Junior colleges are high schools with ashtrays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-carolla/junior-colleges-are-high-schools-with-ashtrays/)

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> [Hands, matches, an ashtray. A ritual beautiful and bitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-akhmatova/hands-matches-an-ashtray-a-ritual-beautiful-and-bitter/)

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[Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/)

[Browse all 30 Ashtrays quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashtrays/)

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