---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most crimes are sanctioned in some form…"
description: "\"Most crimes are sanctioned in some form or other when they take grand names.\" — Ouida"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fd/ouida-3651_crime_most-crimes-are-sanctioned-in-some-form_2584866.png"
---

#  Most crimes are sanctioned in some form or other when they…

![“Most crimes are sanctioned in some form or other when they take grand names.” quote by Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fd/ouida-3651_crime_most-crimes-are-sanctioned-in-some-form_2584866.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fd/ouida-3651_crime_most-crimes-are-sanctioned-in-some-form_2584866.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fd/ouida-3651_crime_most-crimes-are-sanctioned-in-some-form_2584866.png)

> “Most crimes are sanctioned in some form or other when they take grand names.”

[Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/)

## About This Quote

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

Crimes gain legitimacy when they are given grandiose titles, masking their true nature.

**In simple terms:** Big names can legitimize wrongdoing.

Key Takeaway

Question the morality behind impressive labels.

Themes

law morality power language

Mood

critical analytical

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- politics
- corporate branding
- media narratives
- legal jargon

Key Concepts

social constructs ethical relativism

Questions to Reflect On

- How do titles influence perception of wrongdoing?
- Can renaming crimes change public response?

A Different Perspective

Grandiose language can obscure accountability.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Crimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crimes/) [Crimes Sanctioned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crimes-sanctioned-1808885/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Grand Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grand-names-284447/) [Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Sanctioned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanctioned-1345245/) [Sanctioned Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanctioned-form-1808886/)

## Related quotes

> [“I’m quite a hand on names. Let me think on it.” “Something impressive for a boy, Ma.” Amy pursed her lips. “You know--like Mighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-anderson/i-m-quite-a-hand-on-names-let-me-think-on-it-something-impressive-for/)

[Catherine Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-anderson/)

> [There's no question in my mind that it was C.I.A. sanctioned, and most - many Latin American investigators have come to the same conclusion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perkins/there-s-no-question-in-my-mind-that-it-was-c-i-a-sanctioned-and-most/)

[John Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perkins/)

> [How many things both just and unjust are sanctioned by custom?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence/how-many-things-both-just-and-unjust-are-sanctioned-by-custom/)

[Terence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence/)

> [Bigotry should never be sanctioned, whether intentionally or unintentionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-o-farrell/bigotry-should-never-be-sanctioned-whether-intentionally-or/)

[Barry O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-o-farrell/)

> [It's been sanctioned by the courts, and I accept that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-gilmore/it-s-been-sanctioned-by-the-courts-and-i-accept-that/)

[Gary Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-gilmore/)

> [Traditional marriage is what should be sanctioned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/traditional-marriage-is-what-should-be-sanctioned/)

[Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/)

> [“Art is sanctioned pornography”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-home/art-is-sanctioned-pornography/)

[Stewart Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-home/)

> [Justice is the means by which established injustices are sanctioned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/justice-is-the-means-by-which-established-injustices-are-sanctioned/)

[Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/)

> [Heinous crimes are not new to our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjay-mishra/heinous-crimes-are-not-new-to-our-society/)

[Sanjay Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjay-mishra/)

> [I've always thought that you don't love a country by turning a blind eye to its crimes and to a problem. The way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-ve-always-thought-that-you-don-t-love-a-country-by-turning-a-blind/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [High testosterone levels have been proven to make men more likely to commit crimes. The tendency in men toward risky behaviour keeps turning up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/high-testosterone-levels-have-been-proven-to-make-men-more-likely-to/)

[Rodney Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-stark/)

> [I stated that Hiroshima and Nagasaki are 'among the most unspeakable crimes in history.' I took no position on just where they stand on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-stated-that-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-are-among-the-most-unspeakable/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [The greatest of all crimes are the wars that are carried on by governments, to plunder, enslave, and destroy mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/the-greatest-of-all-crimes-are-the-wars-that-are-carried-on-by/)

[Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/)

> [Among our crimes oblivion may be set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/among-our-crimes-oblivion-may-be-set/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [The Constitution is very clear on the - on the declaration of war or reacting to international crimes - crimes against nations. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-pitts/the-constitution-is-very-clear-on-the-on-the-declaration-of-war-or/)

[Joe Pitts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-pitts/)

## More by Ouida

> [Sport inevitably creates deadness of feeling. No one could take pleasure in it who was sensitive to suffering; and therefore its pursuit by women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/sport-inevitably-creates-deadness-of-feeling-no-one-could-take/)

[Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/)

> [Indifference is the invincible grant of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/indifference-is-the-invincible-grant-of-the-world/)

[Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/)

> [When you talk yourself, you think how witty, how original, how acute you are; but when another does so, you are very apt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/when-you-talk-yourself-you-think-how-witty-how-original-how-acute-you/)

[Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/)

> [Indifference is the invisible giant of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/indifference-is-the-invisible-giant-of-the-world/)

[Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/)

> [There is nothing that you may not get people to believe in if you will only tell it them loud enough and often enough,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/there-is-nothing-that-you-may-not-get-people-to-believe-in-if-you/)

[Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/)

> [To vice, innocence must always seem only a superior kind of chicanery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/to-vice-innocence-must-always-seem-only-a-superior-kind-of-chicanery/)

[Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/)

> [An easy-going husband is the one indispensable comfort of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/an-easy-going-husband-is-the-one-indispensable-comfort-of-life/)

[Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/)

> [Christianity has ever been the enemy of human love; it has forever cursed and expelled and crucified the one passion which sweetens and smiles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/christianity-has-ever-been-the-enemy-of-human-love-it-has-forever/)

[Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/)

> [Genius scorns the power of gold: it is wrong. Gold is the war-scythe on its chariot, which mows down the millions of its foes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/genius-scorns-the-power-of-gold-it-is-wrong-gold-is-the-war-scythe-on/)

[Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/)

> [There is a self-evident axiom, that she who is born a beauty is half married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/there-is-a-self-evident-axiom-that-she-who-is-born-a-beauty-is-half/)

[Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/)

> [No great talker ever did any great thing yet, in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/no-great-talker-ever-did-any-great-thing-yet-in-this-world/)

[Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/)

> [The philosopher stands at his desk in the lecture hall, and demonstrates away the soul of man, and with exact thought measures out his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/the-philosopher-stands-at-his-desk-in-the-lecture-hall-and/)

[Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/)

> [The song that we hear with our ears is only the song that is sung in our hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/the-song-that-we-hear-with-our-ears-is-only-the-song-that-is-sung-in/)

[Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/)

> [It is a kind of blindness--poverty. We can only grope through life when we are poor, hitting and maiming ourselves against every angle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/it-is-a-kind-of-blindness-poverty-we-can-only-grope-through-life-when/)

[Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/)

> [A just chastisement may benefit a man, though it seldom does; but an unjust one changes all his blood to gall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/a-just-chastisement-may-benefit-a-man-though-it-seldom-does-but-an/)

[Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/)

[Explore all 125 Ouida quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/)

## More Crime quotes

> [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/)

[Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/)

> [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/crime-and-punishment-can-be-summed-up-in-two-classifications-there/)

[Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/)

> [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/)

[Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/)

> [“The jailers, the Court, everyone in that building – it wasn’t about justice; it was about obedience and intimidation…about maintaining order. Fear accomplished that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-allan/the-jailers-the-court-everyone-in-that-building-it-wasn-t-about/)

[Jay Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-allan/)

> [Taking notes while watching Forensic Files and Snapped. I don't want to make the same mistakes the criminals do! ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/taking-notes-while-watching-forensic-files-and-snapped-i-don-t-want/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. Only when the original invasion, occupation, extermination or usurpation has been safely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/nations-sometimes-flourish-by-denying-the-crimes-that-brought-them/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/)

[Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/)

> [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [Too much virtue can be criminal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-racine/too-much-virtue-can-be-criminal/)

[Jean Racine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-racine/)

> [The federal prison population increased by almost 800 percent between 1980 and 2013, often at a far faster rate than the Bureau of Prisons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-yates/the-federal-prison-population-increased-by-almost-800-percent-between/)

[Sally Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-yates/)

> [ \[P\]rogress, however, has not sufficiently infiltrated the Interior Ministry, affording protection to those who participated in the Bytyqi murders and other egregious Milosevic-era crimes. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avis-bohlen/p-rogress-however-has-not-sufficiently-infiltrated-the-interior/)

[Avis Bohlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avis-bohlen/)

[Browse all 8,359 Crime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Most crimes are sanctioned in some form or other when they take grand names.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ouida"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/most-crimes-are-sanctioned-in-some-form-or-other-when-they-take-grand/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Crime"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/most-crimes-are-sanctioned-in-some-form-or-other-when-they-take-grand/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fd/ouida-3651_crime_most-crimes-are-sanctioned-in-some-form_2584866.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fd/ouida-3651_crime_most-crimes-are-sanctioned-in-some-form_2584866.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fd/ouida-3651_crime_most-crimes-are-sanctioned-in-some-form_2584866.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Most crimes are sanctioned in some form or other when they take grand names.” — Ouida",
                "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": "Ouida",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Most crimes are sanctioned in some...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/most-crimes-are-sanctioned-in-some-form-or-other-when-they-take-grand/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/most-crimes-are-sanctioned-in-some-form-or-other-when-they-take-grand/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
