--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My argument is not that I shouldn't have…" description: "\"My argument is not that I shouldn't have been punished, but that the punishment didn't fit the crime.\" — Kevin Mitnick" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/740/kevin-mitnick-3026_argument_my-argument-is-not-that-i-shouldn-t-have_1684214.png" --- # My argument is not that I shouldn't have been punished… ![“My argument is not that I shouldn't have been punished, but that the punishment didn't fit the crime.” quote by Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/740/kevin-mitnick-3026_argument_my-argument-is-not-that-i-shouldn-t-have_1684214.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/740/kevin-mitnick-3026_argument_my-argument-is-not-that-i-shouldn-t-have_1684214.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/740/kevin-mitnick-3026_argument_my-argument-is-not-that-i-shouldn-t-have_1684214.png) > “My argument is not that I shouldn't have been punished, but that the punishment didn't fit the crime.” [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Punishment should be proportionate to the offense; otherwise, it fails to serve justice or deterrence. **In simple terms:** Punishment must fit the crime. Key Takeaway Advocate for proportional justice. Themes law ethics justice fairness Mood critical thoughtful Type legal ethical When to use this quote - court sentencing - policy reform - advocacy - restorative justice Key Concepts retributive theory criminal law Questions to Reflect On - What criteria ensure fair sentencing? - How do we balance punishment with rehabilitation? A Different Perspective Severity of crime can be hard to measure objectively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Fit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fit/) [Punished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punished/) [Punished Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punished-punishment-986995/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [Punishment Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment-didn-986993/) [Shouldn Punished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shouldn-punished-986994/) ## Related quotes > [People shouldn't be punished for their wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-stuart/people-shouldn-t-be-punished-for-their-wisdom/) [Marty Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-stuart/) > [“She was ghastly and quite mad, but when I grew up I figured her worst punishment was to be herself and I didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/she-was-ghastly-and-quite-mad-but-when-i-grew-up-i-figured-her-worst/) [Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) > [“I might have asked, figured her out, led her to open up. I was good at that. But I didn't inquire, a punishment. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-sonnenberg/i-might-have-asked-figured-her-out-led-her-to-open-up-i-was-good-at/) [Susanna Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-sonnenberg/) > [If I had admitted my guilt, it would have been the same as putting my head on the chopping block - lifetime ban. Death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-rose/if-i-had-admitted-my-guilt-it-would-have-been-the-same-as-putting-my/) [Pete Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-rose/) > [If you commit a crime , it is only natural you get punished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-commit-a-crime-it-is-only-natural-you-get-punished/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You're NOT Norway!!! You'll never BE Norway!!! And BECAUSE of your not being Norway, you will be CRUELLY and UNFORGIVINGLY PUNISHED!!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denmark/you-re-not-norway-you-ll-never-be-norway-and-because-of-your-not/) [Denmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denmark/) > [“There always comes a time in history when the person who dares to say that two and two make four is punished by death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/there-always-comes-a-time-in-history-when-the-person-who-dares-to-say/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [We had a rule in the school that when you're punished, you carry out the punishment and then complain, which I felt was absolutely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-had-a-rule-in-the-school-that-when-you-re-punished-you-carry-out/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Love is a punishment. We are punished for not having been strong enough to remain alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/love-is-a-punishment-we-are-punished-for-not-having-been-strong/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) > [A person who has been punished is not thereby simply less inclined to behave in a given way; at best, he learns how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-person-who-has-been-punished-is-not-thereby-simply-less-inclined-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Relationships don't thrive because the guilty are punished but because the innocent are merciful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/relationships-don-t-thrive-because-the-guilty-are-punished-but/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [The innocent are punished. That's the world we live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-hanif/the-innocent-are-punished-that-s-the-world-we-live-in/) [Mohammed Hanif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-hanif/) > [When someone else is getting punished you show up, you eat some lunch, you sit back because you're not going to do anything. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-vulcano/when-someone-else-is-getting-punished-you-show-up-you-eat-some-lunch/) [Sal Vulcano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-vulcano/) > [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/) > [“He hung his head. “Am I punished?” “Yes. I’m too mad to punish you right now. We’ll talk about it when we get home.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/he-hung-his-head-am-i-punished-yes-i-m-too-mad-to-punish-you-right/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) ## More by Kevin Mitnick > [The human. Now you know all about your target](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/the-human-now-you-know-all-about-your-target/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [I was fascinated with the phone system and how it worked; I became a hacker to get better control over the phone company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/i-was-fascinated-with-the-phone-system-and-how-it-worked-i-became-a/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [Nine out of every 10 large corporations and government agencies have been attacked by computer intruders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/nine-out-of-every-10-large-corporations-and-government-agencies-have/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [Back up everything! You are not invulnerable. Catastrophic data loss can happen to you - one worm or Trojan is all it takes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/back-up-everything-you-are-not-invulnerable-catastrophic-data-loss/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [It's true, I had hacked into a lot of companies, and took copies of the source code to analyze it for security bugs. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/it-s-true-i-had-hacked-into-a-lot-of-companies-and-took-copies-of-the/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [When an attacker fails with one person, they often go to another person. The key is to report the attack to other departments. Workers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/when-an-attacker-fails-with-one-person-they-often-go-to-another/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [I think malware is a significant threat because the mitigation, like antivirus software, hasn't evolved to a point to really mitigate the risk to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/i-think-malware-is-a-significant-threat-because-the-mitigation-like/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [Usually companies hire me, and they know full well who I am, and that's one of the reasons they want to hire me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/usually-companies-hire-me-and-they-know-full-well-who-i-am-and-that-s/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [A lot of companies are clueless, because they spend most or all of their security budget on high-tech security like fire walls and biometric…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/a-lot-of-companies-are-clueless-because-they-spend-most-or-all-of/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [I characterize myself as a retired hacker. I'm applying what I know to improve security at companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/i-characterize-myself-as-a-retired-hacker-i-m-applying-what-i-know-to/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [No company that I ever hacked into reported any damages, which they were required to do for significant losses. Sun didn't stop using Solaris…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/no-company-that-i-ever-hacked-into-reported-any-damages-which-they/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [New security loopholes are constantly popping up because of wireless networking. The cat-and-mouse game between hackers and system administrators is still in full swing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/new-security-loopholes-are-constantly-popping-up-because-of-wireless/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [The explosion of companies deploying wireless networks insecurely is creating vulnerabilities, as they think it's limited to the office - then they have Johnny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/the-explosion-of-companies-deploying-wireless-networks-insecurely-is/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [The government does things like insisting that all encryption programs should have a back door. But surely no one is stupid enough to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/the-government-does-things-like-insisting-that-all-encryption/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [I get hired to hack into computers now and sometimes it's actually easier than it was years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/i-get-hired-to-hack-into-computers-now-and-sometimes-it-s-actually/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) [Explore all 142 Kevin Mitnick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) ## More Argument quotes > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. 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