--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I once heard that the French don't…" description: "\"“I once heard that the French don't prosecute people who commit crimes of passion twenty minutes after waking.”\" — Lynne Tillman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/lynne-tillman-5609_prosecute_i-once-heard-that-the-french-don-t-prose_3190520.png" --- # I once heard that the French don't prosecute people who… ![“I once heard that the French don't prosecute people who commit crimes of passion twenty minutes after waking.” quote by Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/lynne-tillman-5609_prosecute_i-once-heard-that-the-french-don-t-prose_3190520.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/lynne-tillman-5609_prosecute_i-once-heard-that-the-french-don-t-prose_3190520.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/lynne-tillman-5609_prosecute_i-once-heard-that-the-french-don-t-prose_3190520.png) > ““I once heard that the French don't prosecute people who commit crimes of passion twenty minutes after waking.”” [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The anecdote suggests that legal consequences for crimes of passion are delayed, implying a cultural leniency toward impulsive acts. **In simple terms:** Legal response to passion crimes is delayed. Key Takeaway Consider how timing affects justice perception. Themes law culture passion justice Mood critical inquisitive Type analytical observational When to use this quote - courtroom - media commentary - personal ethics Key Concepts sociology legal studies Questions to Reflect On - Is timing of prosecution truly lenient? - How does culture shape legal responses? A Different Perspective The claim may be anecdotal or inaccurate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Commit Crimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commit-crimes/) [Crimes Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crimes-passion-802159/) [Heard French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard-french-5883385/) [Prosecute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosecute/) [Prosecute People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosecute-people-1090495/) ## Related quotes > [The police have the right to prosecute people, but not use violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/the-police-have-the-right-to-prosecute-people-but-not-use-violence/) [Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/) > [I know what it means to prosecute people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pruitt/i-know-what-it-means-to-prosecute-people/) [Scott Pruitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pruitt/) > [“It's a good thing I'm not the president, because I would prosecute everybody who was involved in that torture, I would prosecute the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/it-s-a-good-thing-i-m-not-the-president-because-i-would-prosecute/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) > [I think people will always be interested in crimes of passion. And I don't think you can do a genre-heavy show and not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-lehman/i-think-people-will-always-be-interested-in-crimes-of-passion-and-i/) [Kristin Lehman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-lehman/) > [There are crimes of passion and crimes of logic. The boundary between them is not clearly defined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/there-are-crimes-of-passion-and-crimes-of-logic-the-boundary-between/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Crimes of Passion, which is one of the best films I've done, will live strongly in my resume, even though it didn't do well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-turner/crimes-of-passion-which-is-one-of-the-best-films-i-ve-done-will-live/) [Kathleen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-turner/) > [“This was a crime of passion, but unlike most crimes of passion, it had been meticulously and diabolically well-planned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zero/this-was-a-crime-of-passion-but-unlike-most-crimes-of-passion-it-had/) [Mark Zero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zero/) > [The rest of Sitka's homicides are so-called crimes of passion, which is a shorthand way of expressing the mathematical product of alcohol and firearms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/the-rest-of-sitka-s-homicides-are-so-called-crimes-of-passion-which/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [At best-which is to say, even where our knowledge of a case comes to us only through courtroom evidence-it is difficult for the legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-trilling/at-best-which-is-to-say-even-where-our-knowledge-of-a-case-comes-to/) [Diana Trilling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-trilling/) > [I committed crimes of passion and my soul was suspected, But it was thrown out of court because of course the Creator and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cee-lo-green/i-committed-crimes-of-passion-and-my-soul-was-suspected-but-it-was/) [Cee Lo Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cee-lo-green/) > [“Start with the observation that American law is not designed to catch and punish every instance of illegal conduct. Nothing short of a totalitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carpenter/start-with-the-observation-that-american-law-is-not-designed-to-catch/) [Dale Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carpenter/) > [“Yes, I prosecute bastards like him, make them pay for what they did to innocent victims who can’t fight for themselves. And every time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buffy-andrews/yes-i-prosecute-bastards-like-him-make-them-pay-for-what-they-did-to/) [Buffy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buffy-andrews/) > [It is the writer's business not to accuse and not to prosecute, but to champion the guilty, once they are condemned and suffer punishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/it-is-the-writer-s-business-not-to-accuse-and-not-to-prosecute-but-to/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [I don't hang with polluters; I prosecute them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pruitt/i-don-t-hang-with-polluters-i-prosecute-them/) [Scott Pruitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pruitt/) > [If we don't prosecute war criminals, what's the next horrible thing they can do? As anyone knows, if you're not held accountable, you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-evans/if-we-don-t-prosecute-war-criminals-what-s-the-next-horrible-thing/) [Jodie Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-evans/) ## More by Lynne Tillman > [There may be an art to conversation, and some are better at it than others, but conversation's virtue lies in randomness and possibility: people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/there-may-be-an-art-to-conversation-and-some-are-better-at-it-than/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I'd studied English literature and American history, but the English literature, which I thought was going to be helpful to me in an immediate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-d-studied-english-literature-and-american-history-but-the-english/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I subject my sentences and the words to a kind of Grand Inquisition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-subject-my-sentences-and-the-words-to-a-kind-of-grand-inquisition/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [Laughing and crying are very similar. Sometimes people go from laughing to crying, or crying to laughing. I remember being at someone's wedding and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/laughing-and-crying-are-very-similar-sometimes-people-go-from/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [ \[Reality\] isn't simply the so-called world that you're in. Your reality is a much larger one that takes in all matter of identification and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/reality-isn-t-simply-the-so-called-world-that-you-re-in-your-reality/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I write about what I'm thinking about. I write about what is bothering me or what is a political, aesthetic, or ethical issue or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-write-about-what-i-m-thinking-about-i-write-about-what-is-bothering/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [My friends and I sometimes laugh at each other that there is so much maintenance of a body. I paid no attention when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/my-friends-and-i-sometimes-laugh-at-each-other-that-there-is-so-much/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I'm interested in reality but I'm not interested in realism at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-interested-in-reality-but-i-m-not-interested-in-realism-at-all/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [In a practical sense, pain kept me from sitting down as much, so that sometimes I would have to stand to write. Not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/in-a-practical-sense-pain-kept-me-from-sitting-down-as-much-so-that/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I'm bothered, as a reader, when I feel the writer is filling in too much. Again, whether it's nonfiction or fiction, I think writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-bothered-as-a-reader-when-i-feel-the-writer-is-filling-in-too/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [It wasn't that I wanted to be an artist. But when I took my first drawing class with the painter Doug Ohlson, I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/it-wasn-t-that-i-wanted-to-be-an-artist-but-when-i-took-my-first/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I'm interested in reality but I'm not interested in realism at all. I'm interested in the ways that I think people want to relate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-interested-in-reality-but-i-m-not-interested-in-realism-at-all-i/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [It's true you have to screen out a lot living in the city. I stayed away from New York for a long time after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/it-s-true-you-have-to-screen-out-a-lot-living-in-the-city-i-stayed/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [Kafka wrote the great line: "my education has damaged me in ways I do not even know." And that's always been a signature motto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/kafka-wrote-the-great-line-my-education-has-damaged-me-in-ways-i-do/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [There are lots of unlikable characters in literature. It doesn't mean they're not fascinating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/there-are-lots-of-unlikable-characters-in-literature-it-doesn-t-mean/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) [Explore all 100 Lynne Tillman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) ## More Prosecute quotes > [If we don't prosecute war criminals, what's the next horrible thing they can do? As anyone knows, if you're not held accountable, you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-evans/if-we-don-t-prosecute-war-criminals-what-s-the-next-horrible-thing/) [Jodie Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-evans/) > [I don't hang with polluters; I prosecute them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pruitt/i-don-t-hang-with-polluters-i-prosecute-them/) [Scott Pruitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pruitt/) > [It is the writer's business not to accuse and not to prosecute, but to champion the guilty, once they are condemned and suffer punishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/it-is-the-writer-s-business-not-to-accuse-and-not-to-prosecute-but-to/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“Yes, I prosecute bastards like him, make them pay for what they did to innocent victims who can’t fight for themselves. And every time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buffy-andrews/yes-i-prosecute-bastards-like-him-make-them-pay-for-what-they-did-to/) [Buffy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buffy-andrews/) > [“Start with the observation that American law is not designed to catch and punish every instance of illegal conduct. Nothing short of a totalitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carpenter/start-with-the-observation-that-american-law-is-not-designed-to-catch/) [Dale Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carpenter/) > [If you abuse the public trust, we're going to find you, and and we're going to prosecute you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hawley/if-you-abuse-the-public-trust-we-re-going-to-find-you-and-and-we-re/) [Josh Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hawley/) > [We can use laws to prosecute and make people think twice before going to do something like blowing up Buddhas and other things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-edsel/we-can-use-laws-to-prosecute-and-make-people-think-twice-before-going/) [Robert M. Edsel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-edsel/) > [The most important thing we can do is prosecute the offenders, deal with those that have broken the law and committed this crime. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/the-most-important-thing-we-can-do-is-prosecute-the-offenders-deal/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [“When in court, the primary role of lawyers is not to prove or disprove innocence; unbeknown to almost all lawyers and their clients, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/when-in-court-the-primary-role-of-lawyers-is-not-to-prove-or-disprove/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [In order to prosecute war, you have to take some risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-zinke/in-order-to-prosecute-war-you-have-to-take-some-risk/) [Ryan Zinke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-zinke/) > [“How I wish the police service is instructed to arrest people who over-complain! Just arrest them, do no harm to them, but make them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/how-i-wish-the-police-service-is-instructed-to-arrest-people-who-over/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [The thing that's most uppermost in my mind and will continue to be until I hit a brick wall is that I am dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-bugliosi/the-thing-that-s-most-uppermost-in-my-mind-and-will-continue-to-be/) [Vincent Bugliosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-bugliosi/) > [“Sentence every immoral thought for detention and prosecution. Immorality is a powerful gadget that brings down great monuments of success. Don’t entertain immorality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/sentence-every-immoral-thought-for-detention-and-prosecution/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“Ignorance must be prosecuted when arrested. The only way for its arrest is by information and the only way for prosecution is through reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/ignorance-must-be-prosecuted-when-arrested-the-only-way-for-its/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [The amount of money and of legal energy being given to prosecute hundreds of thousands of Americans who are caught with a few ounces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/the-amount-of-money-and-of-legal-energy-being-given-to-prosecute/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) [Browse all 38 Prosecute quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosecute/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I once heard that the French don't prosecute people who commit crimes of passion twenty minutes after waking.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lynne Tillman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-once-heard-that-the-french-don-t-prosecute-people-who-commit-crimes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Prosecute" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-once-heard-that-the-french-don-t-prosecute-people-who-commit-crimes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/lynne-tillman-5609_prosecute_i-once-heard-that-the-french-don-t-prose_3190520.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/lynne-tillman-5609_prosecute_i-once-heard-that-the-french-don-t-prose_3190520.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/lynne-tillman-5609_prosecute_i-once-heard-that-the-french-don-t-prose_3190520.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I once heard that the French don't prosecute people who commit crimes of passion twenty minutes after waking.” — Lynne Tillman", "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": "Lynne Tillman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I once heard that the French...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-once-heard-that-the-french-don-t-prosecute-people-who-commit-crimes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-once-heard-that-the-french-don-t-prosecute-people-who-commit-crimes/#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 } } ] } ```