--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It doesn't matter if that felony happened…" description: "\"It doesn't matter if that felony happened three weeks ago or thirty-five years ago - for the rest of your life, you've got to check that box, knowing f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/michelle-alexander-750_felony_it-doesn-t-matter-if-that-felony-happene_1996160.png" --- # It doesn't matter if that felony happened three weeks ago… ![“It doesn't matter if that felony happened three weeks ago or thirty-five years ago - for the rest of your life, you've got to check that box, knowing full well the odds are sky-high your application is going straight to the trash.” quote by Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/michelle-alexander-750_felony_it-doesn-t-matter-if-that-felony-happene_1996160.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/michelle-alexander-750_felony_it-doesn-t-matter-if-that-felony-happene_1996160.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/michelle-alexander-750_felony_it-doesn-t-matter-if-that-felony-happene_1996160.png) > “It doesn't matter if that felony happened three weeks ago or thirty-five years ago - for the rest of your life, you've got to check that box, knowing full well the odds are sky-high your application is going straight to the trash.” [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A felony conviction, no matter how old, creates a permanent barrier to opportunities, as applications are often automatically rejected. **In simple terms:** Felonies cause lifelong barriers. Key Takeaway Advocate for fair background‑check policies. Themes justice systemic bias employment Mood reflective urgent Type advocacy educational When to use this quote - job applications - housing - education - voting rights Key Concepts criminal record stigma policy reform Questions to Reflect On - How can society reduce lifelong penalties for past crimes? - What legal changes could improve reintegration? A Different Perspective Reforming policies may face strong opposition from entrenched interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Felony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felony/) [Felony Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felony-happened-3486802/) [Five years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five-years/) [Happened Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened-weeks-1307166/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Matter Felony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter-felony-3486803/) [Odds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odds/) [Rest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rest/) [Rest of your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rest-of-your-life/) [Trash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trash/) [Weeks Ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weeks-ago-367098/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) ## Related quotes > [“This guy tried to kill me, he’s out there, and I’m going to blow his f\*\*\*ng head off.' Nothing happened for a few weeks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-huskie/this-guy-tried-to-kill-me-he-s-out-there-and-i-m-going-to-blow-his-f/) [Brian Huskie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-huskie/) > [My teammates will tell you I find it hard to remember what happened two weeks earlier, let alone what happened a decade and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mithali-raj/my-teammates-will-tell-you-i-find-it-hard-to-remember-what-happened/) [Mithali Raj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mithali-raj/) > [“She thought of sex with Miles. It had last happened three weeks previously. His performance was as predictable as a Masonic handshake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/she-thought-of-sex-with-miles-it-had-last-happened-three-weeks/) [J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/) > [For the rest of your life you must check the box on employment applications asking the dreaded question: "Have you ever been convicted of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/for-the-rest-of-your-life-you-must-check-the-box-on-employment/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Discrimination in public benefits is also perfectly legal. Under federal law, people convicted of drug felonies are deemed ineligible even for food stamps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/discrimination-in-public-benefits-is-also-perfectly-legal-under/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [People charged with drug offenses, though, are typically poor people of color. They are routinely charged with felonies and sent to prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/people-charged-with-drug-offenses-though-are-typically-poor-people-of/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Millions of people are unable to vote due to felony convictions with the highest rates among black men. People in prison are denied the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/millions-of-people-are-unable-to-vote-due-to-felony-convictions-with/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [I wished I'd known weeks ago that we didn't have to be chaperoned. I remembered my old daydreams: the prince and I, alone together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wished-i-d-known-weeks-ago-that-we-didn-t-have-to-be-chaperoned-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Jace: 'I don't like keeping her in the dark.' Sebastian: 'We'll tell her in a week. What difference does a week make?' Jace: 'Two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/jace-i-don-t-like-keeping-her-in-the-dark-sebastian-we-ll-tell-her-in/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“I've been off drugs and booze since I almost killed myself on speed two weeks ago. But my gratitude for being alive can't last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-dark/i-ve-been-off-drugs-and-booze-since-i-almost-killed-myself-on-speed/) [Johnny Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-dark/) > [I know some things--I know that I'm not alone, that I have friends, that I'm in love. I know that I don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-know-some-things-i-know-that-i-m-not-alone-that-i-have-friends-that/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [Remembering the ball became for Emma a daily occupation. Every time Wednesday came round, she told herself when she woke up: 'Ah! One week…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/remembering-the-ball-became-for-emma-a-daily-occupation-every-time/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [“Carter, not to be unkind," I said, "but the last few months you've been seeing messages about Zia everywhere . Two weeks ago, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/carter-not-to-be-unkind-i-said-but-the-last-few-months-you-ve-been/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Every now and then it feels like it's just been a few days ago, a few weeks ago since we got started; but looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-montgomery/every-now-and-then-it-feels-like-it-s-just-been-a-few-days-ago-a-few/) [Eddie Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-montgomery/) > [I don’t like keeping her in the dark,” Jace said. “We’ll tell her in a week. What difference does a week make?” Jace gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-don-t-like-keeping-her-in-the-dark-jace-said-we-ll-tell-her-in-a/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) ## More by Michelle Alexander > [If you ask for good schools, you aren't likely to get them. If you ask for jobs or economic investment, you won't get that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-you-ask-for-good-schools-you-aren-t-likely-to-get-them-if-you-ask/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The uncomfortable reality we must face is that California, like the nation as a whole, has treated generations of African Americans and Latinos as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-uncomfortable-reality-we-must-face-is-that-california-like-the/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Seeing race is not the problem. Refusing to care for the people we see is the problem. The fact that the meaning of race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/seeing-race-is-not-the-problem-refusing-to-care-for-the-people-we-see/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Since the nations founding, African Americans repeatedly have been controlled through institutions such as slavery and Jim Crow, which appear to die but then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/since-the-nations-founding-african-americans-repeatedly-have-been/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Felon disenfranchisement laws have been more effective in eliminating black voters in the age of mass incarceration than they were under Jim Crow…These figures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/felon-disenfranchisement-laws-have-been-more-effective-in-eliminating/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“That was King’s dream—a society that is capable of seeing each of us, as we are, with love. That is a goal worth fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/that-was-king-s-dream-a-society-that-is-capable-of-seeing-each-of-us/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Activists take the risks, while advocates are professional tinkerers with the system. What's necessary is for those who are advocates to support those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/activists-take-the-risks-while-advocates-are-professional-tinkerers/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Civil rights protests were frequently depicted as criminal rather than political in nature, and federal courts were accused of excessive “lenience” toward lawlessness, thereby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/civil-rights-protests-were-frequently-depicted-as-criminal-rather/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [We cannot 'fix' the police without a revolution of values and radical change to the basic structure of our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/we-cannot-fix-the-police-without-a-revolution-of-values-and-radical/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [If we continue to tell ourselves the popular myths about racial progress or, worse yet, if we say to ourselves that the problem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-we-continue-to-tell-ourselves-the-popular-myths-about-racial/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The mass incarceration of poor people of color, particularly black men, has emerged as a new caste system, one specifically designed to address the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-mass-incarceration-of-poor-people-of-color-particularly-black-men/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [ “\[T\]he slave went free; stood a brief moment in the sun; then moved back again toward slavery. —W.E.B Du Bois, Black Reconstruction in America… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/t-he-slave-went-free-stood-a-brief-moment-in-the-sun-then-moved-back/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [If you take into account prisoners, a large majority of African American men in some urban areas, like Chicago, have been labeled felons for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-you-take-into-account-prisoners-a-large-majority-of-african/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“A new civil rights movement cannot be organized around the relics of the earlier system of control if it is to address meaningfully the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/a-new-civil-rights-movement-cannot-be-organized-around-the-relics-of/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The rules and reasons the political system employs to enforce status relations of any kind, including racial hierarchy, evolve and change as they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-rules-and-reasons-the-political-system-employs-to-enforce-status/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) [Explore all 381 Michelle Alexander quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) ## More Felony quotes > [What actually happened during the Clinton presidency? No one can remember anything about it except the bimbos, the lies, and the felonies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/what-actually-happened-during-the-clinton-presidency-no-one-can/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [You commit a felony, it does not matter who you are, you could be deported](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slick-rick/you-commit-a-felony-it-does-not-matter-who-you-are-you-could-be/) [Slick Rick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slick-rick/) > [“The real purpose of the opposition is to minimize the amount of money the ruling party will have stolen from the people at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/the-real-purpose-of-the-opposition-is-to-minimize-the-amount-of-money/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Often, a serial killer has no felony record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-brown/often-a-serial-killer-has-no-felony-record/) [Pat Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-brown/) > [Hatred is more like felony exception of gun and killing it is still a natural crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilteny/hatred-is-more-like-felony-exception-of-gun-and-killing-it-is-still-a/) [LilTeny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilteny/) > [Although knaves win in every political struggle, although society seems to be delivered over from the hands of one set of criminals into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/although-knaves-win-in-every-political-struggle-although-society/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Gross negligence in handling national security is a felony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/gross-negligence-in-handling-national-security-is-a-felony/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [“I have two choices: attend my sister's dinner party or tie a plastic sack around my mother's head until she runs out of ngagging.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-adams/i-have-two-choices-attend-my-sister-s-dinner-party-or-tie-a-plastic/) [Alex Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-adams/) > [You never forget your first felony. Mine was mail tampering. As a hoops-crazed 13-year-old, I rifled through a new neighbor's mailbox to confirm that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-rushin/you-never-forget-your-first-felony-mine-was-mail-tampering-as-a-hoops/) [Steve Rushin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-rushin/) > [“If all of your friends are morons is it a felony, a misdemeanor or an act of God if you blow their fucking heads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/if-all-of-your-friends-are-morons-is-it-a-felony-a-misdemeanor-or-an/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [It's not just a sin, it's a felony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/it-s-not-just-a-sin-it-s-a-felony/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [The judge gave me a break. He was like: wow, we've never heard of this. So he gave me time served in the county…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/the-judge-gave-me-a-break-he-was-like-wow-we-ve-never-heard-of-this/) [Luis J. Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/) > [“Imagine being the 'party of law and order' and having a convicted felon at the top of your ticket.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-wallace/imagine-being-the-party-of-law-and-order-and-having-a-convicted-felon/) [Carlos Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-wallace/) > [To men who only aim at escaping felony, nothing short of the prisoner's dock is disgrace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/to-men-who-only-aim-at-escaping-felony-nothing-short-of-the-prisoner/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Sometimes, to help the people you love, you've gotta commit a felony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/sometimes-to-help-the-people-you-love-you-ve-gotta-commit-a-felony/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) [Browse all 76 Felony quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felony/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It doesn't matter if that felony happened three weeks ago or thirty-five years ago - for the rest of your life, you've got to check that box, knowing full well the odds are sky-high your application is going straight to the trash.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michelle Alexander" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/it-doesn-t-matter-if-that-felony-happened-three-weeks-ago-or-thirty/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Felony" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/it-doesn-t-matter-if-that-felony-happened-three-weeks-ago-or-thirty/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/michelle-alexander-750_felony_it-doesn-t-matter-if-that-felony-happene_1996160.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/michelle-alexander-750_felony_it-doesn-t-matter-if-that-felony-happene_1996160.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/michelle-alexander-750_felony_it-doesn-t-matter-if-that-felony-happene_1996160.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It doesn't matter if that felony happened three weeks ago or thirty-five years ago - for the rest of your…” — Michelle Alexander", "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": "Michelle Alexander", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It doesn't matter if that felony...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/it-doesn-t-matter-if-that-felony-happened-three-weeks-ago-or-thirty/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/it-doesn-t-matter-if-that-felony-happened-three-weeks-ago-or-thirty/#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 } } ] } ```