--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Criminals are never very amusing. It's…" description: "\"Criminals are never very amusing. It's because they're failures. Those who make real money aren't counted as criminals. This is a class distinction, no..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/orson-welles-1628_amusing_criminals-are-never-very-amusing-it-s-be_2824981.jpg" --- # Criminals are never very amusing. It's because they're… ![“Criminals are never very amusing. It's because they're failures. Those who make real money aren't counted as criminals. This is a class distinction, not an ethical problem.” quote by Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/orson-welles-1628_amusing_criminals-are-never-very-amusing-it-s-be_2824981.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/orson-welles-1628_amusing_criminals-are-never-very-amusing-it-s-be_2824981.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d19/orson-welles-1628_amusing_criminals-are-never-very-amusing-it-s-be_2824981.jpg) > “Criminals are never very amusing. It's because they're failures. Those who make real money aren't counted as criminals. This is a class distinction, not an ethical problem.” [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that criminality is socially constructed; financial success shields the wealthy from being labeled criminals. **In simple terms:** Crime labels depend on class, not ethics. Key Takeaway Question class bias in law. Themes class justice ethics Mood analytical provocative Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy reform - media analysis Key Concepts social inequality legal definitions Questions to Reflect On - How does class affect legal treatment? - Can wealth ever justify immoral behavior? A Different Perspective Not all wealthy actions are ethical. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amusing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amusing/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [Distinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinction/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) ## Related quotes > [Perhaps the most difficult ethical problem of the scientific community arises not so much from conflict with other subcultures as from its own success.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/perhaps-the-most-difficult-ethical-problem-of-the-scientific/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [People, Reacher was certain about. Dogs were different. People had freedom of choice. If a man or a woman ran snarling toward him, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/people-reacher-was-certain-about-dogs-were-different-people-had/) [Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/) > [ It \[an ethical problem with in vitro fertilization\] depends on whether you're talking ethics from the standpoint of some religious denomination or from just… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-steptoe/it-an-ethical-problem-with-in-vitro-fertilization-depends-on-whether/) Patrick Steptoe > [I'd like to see people, instead of spending so much time on the ethical problem, get after the problems that really affect the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/i-d-like-to-see-people-instead-of-spending-so-much-time-on-the/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [“In silence, an act is an act is an act. Verbalized and discussed, it becomes an ethical problem ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/in-silence-an-act-is-an-act-is-an-act-verbalized-and-discussed-it/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“Those who wish even to focus on the problem of a Christian ethic are faced with an outrageous demand-from the outset they must give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/those-who-wish-even-to-focus-on-the-problem-of-a-christian-ethic-are/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [The climate change problem is at its heart an ethical problem. It's a problem of income distribution and it's a problem of income distribution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-garnaut/the-climate-change-problem-is-at-its-heart-an-ethical-problem-it-s-a/) [Ross Garnaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-garnaut/) > [It's amusing how arrogant people can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-amusing-how-arrogant-people-can-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ \[A\]n Obama presidency would be an amusing approximation of the Carter administration, complete with vaporous moralizing and foreign policy bungling. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-tyrrell/a-n-obama-presidency-would-be-an-amusing-approximation-of-the-carter/) [Emmett Tyrrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-tyrrell/) > [Funny things tend not to happen to me. I am not a natural comic. I need to think about things a lot before I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/funny-things-tend-not-to-happen-to-me-i-am-not-a-natural-comic-i-need/) [Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/) > [No one survives in times of war unless they make war their home. How did I get so old and wise, but for welcoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/no-one-survives-in-times-of-war-unless-they-make-war-their-home-how/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [People of our time are losing the power of celebration. Instead of celebrating we seek to be amused or entertained. Celebration is an active…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/people-of-our-time-are-losing-the-power-of-celebration-instead-of/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [I was reading Neil Postman's 'Amusing Ourselves to Death'. It's one of my favourites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-faiyaz/i-was-reading-neil-postman-s-amusing-ourselves-to-death-it-s-one-of/) [Brent Faiyaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-faiyaz/) > [By amusing myself with all these games, all this nonsense, all these picture puzzles, I became famous... I am only a public entertainer who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/by-amusing-myself-with-all-these-games-all-this-nonsense-all-these/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## More by Orson Welles > [The two things you cannot do effectively on stage are pray and copulate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/the-two-things-you-cannot-do-effectively-on-stage-are-pray-and/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [There are a thousand ways of playing a good classic. If it were effective, I would play Hamlet on a trapeze.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/there-are-a-thousand-ways-of-playing-a-good-classic-if-it-were/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [I am essentially a hack, a commercial person. If I had a hobby, I would immediately make money on it or abandon it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/i-am-essentially-a-hack-a-commercial-person-if-i-had-a-hobby-i-would/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [The essential is to excite the spectators. If that means playing Hamlet on a flying trapeze or in an aquarium, you do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/the-essential-is-to-excite-the-spectators-if-that-means-playing/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [There are three intolerable things in life - cold coffee, lukewarm champagne, and overexcited women...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/there-are-three-intolerable-things-in-life-cold-coffee-lukewarm/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [I'm extremely surprised to learn that a story, which has become familiar to children through the medium of comic strips and many succeeding novels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/i-m-extremely-surprised-to-learn-that-a-story-which-has-become/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [I hate women, hate them generally, not in particular but in an abstract way. I hate them because one never really learns anything about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/i-hate-women-hate-them-generally-not-in-particular-but-in-an-abstract/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [When television came along, I'd already done more than 10 years of radio work and I thought everyone would want me. I sat around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/when-television-came-along-i-d-already-done-more-than-10-years-of/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [Look at the real prodigies, and I look like nothing compared to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/look-at-the-real-prodigies-and-i-look-like-nothing-compared-to-them/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [The laws and the stage, both are a form of exhibitionism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/the-laws-and-the-stage-both-are-a-form-of-exhibitionism/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [In the theater there are 1,500 cameras rolling at the same time - in the cinema, only one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/in-the-theater-there-are-1-500-cameras-rolling-at-the-same-time-in/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [In Italy, for 30 years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/in-italy-for-30-years-under-the-borgias-they-had-warfare-terror/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [I would rather be on the set than doing anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/i-would-rather-be-on-the-set-than-doing-anything/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [I prefer people who rock the boat to people who jump out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/i-prefer-people-who-rock-the-boat-to-people-who-jump-out/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [If I don't like somebody's looks, I don't like them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/if-i-don-t-like-somebody-s-looks-i-don-t-like-them/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) [Explore all 218 Orson Welles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) ## More Amusing quotes > [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [By amusing myself with all these games, all this nonsense, all these picture puzzles, I became famous... I am only a public entertainer who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/by-amusing-myself-with-all-these-games-all-this-nonsense-all-these/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [I was reading Neil Postman's 'Amusing Ourselves to Death'. It's one of my favourites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-faiyaz/i-was-reading-neil-postman-s-amusing-ourselves-to-death-it-s-one-of/) [Brent Faiyaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-faiyaz/) > [People of our time are losing the power of celebration. Instead of celebrating we seek to be amused or entertained. Celebration is an active…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/people-of-our-time-are-losing-the-power-of-celebration-instead-of/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [No one survives in times of war unless they make war their home. How did I get so old and wise, but for welcoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/no-one-survives-in-times-of-war-unless-they-make-war-their-home-how/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [Funny things tend not to happen to me. I am not a natural comic. I need to think about things a lot before I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/funny-things-tend-not-to-happen-to-me-i-am-not-a-natural-comic-i-need/) [Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/) > [ \[A\]n Obama presidency would be an amusing approximation of the Carter administration, complete with vaporous moralizing and foreign policy bungling. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-tyrrell/a-n-obama-presidency-would-be-an-amusing-approximation-of-the-carter/) [Emmett Tyrrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-tyrrell/) > [It's amusing how arrogant people can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-amusing-how-arrogant-people-can-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men are not amusing during the shooting season; but, after all, my dear, men were not especially designed to amuse women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/men-are-not-amusing-during-the-shooting-season-but-after-all-my-dear/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) > [All men are fools, if truth be told, but the ones in motley are more amusing than ones with crowns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-men-are-fools-if-truth-be-told-but-the-ones-in-motley-are-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most poetry is the utterance of a man in some state of passion, love, joy, grief, rage, etc., and no doubt this is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/most-poetry-is-the-utterance-of-a-man-in-some-state-of-passion-love/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [It's always amusing to see how much less the political class knows than the rest of us do. ... it's never occurred to \[the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-d-cox/it-s-always-amusing-to-see-how-much-less-the-political-class-knows/) Stephen D. Cox > [Are there bears in these mountains?" he asked. His companion nodded. "Of course. But it's a bit early in the year for them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/are-there-bears-in-these-mountains-he-asked-his-companion-nodded-of/) [John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/) > [I always find it amusing to overhear women who have never had babies discussing what a pregnant chick should 'look' like at a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catt-sadler/i-always-find-it-amusing-to-overhear-women-who-have-never-had-babies/) [Catt Sadler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catt-sadler/) > [The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coveyou/the-generation-of-random-numbers-is-too-important-to-be-left-to-chance/) Robert Coveyou [Browse all 436 Amusing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amusing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Criminals are never very amusing. It's because they're failures. 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