--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One way to make sure crime doesn't pay…" description: "\"One way to make sure crime doesn't pay would be to let the government run it.\" — Ronald Reagan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/ronald-reagan-119_crime_one-way-to-make-sure-crime-doesn-t-pay-w_246306.jpg" --- # One way to make sure crime doesn't pay would be to let the… ![“One way to make sure crime doesn't pay would be to let the government run it.” quote by Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/ronald-reagan-119_crime_one-way-to-make-sure-crime-doesn-t-pay-w_246306.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/ronald-reagan-119_crime_one-way-to-make-sure-crime-doesn-t-pay-w_246306.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/ronald-reagan-119_crime_one-way-to-make-sure-crime-doesn-t-pay-w_246306.jpg) > “One way to make sure crime doesn't pay would be to let the government run it.” [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If the government controls crime, it ensures crime will never be profitable. **In simple terms:** Government control would eliminate crime profit. Key Takeaway Consider systemic solutions to crime. Themes policy crime government intervention Mood cautious critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - law enforcement reform - community programs - legislative debate Key Concepts economics public safety Questions to Reflect On - Can crime be eradicated through policy alone? - What safeguards prevent abuse? A Different Perspective May ignore unintended consequences of state power. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Crime Doesn'T Pay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime-doesn-t-pay/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [“Whoever said crime doesn't pay is an idiot. It pays great, which is why there is so much of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/whoever-said-crime-doesn-t-pay-is-an-idiot-it-pays-great-which-is-why/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [I wanted to show that crime doesn't pay. If you are saved and accept the Lord, you cannot use that as an excuse to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/i-wanted-to-show-that-crime-doesn-t-pay-if-you-are-saved-and-accept/) [Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/) > [In the end, crime doesn't pay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lane-garrison/in-the-end-crime-doesn-t-pay/) [Lane Garrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lane-garrison/) > [All the time I was growing up, I was taught crime doesn't pay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-connors/all-the-time-i-was-growing-up-i-was-taught-crime-doesn-t-pay/) [Mike Connors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-connors/) > [One of the biggest lies in the world is that crime doesn't pay. Of course, crime pays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-gordon-liddy/one-of-the-biggest-lies-in-the-world-is-that-crime-doesn-t-pay-of/) [G. Gordon Liddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-gordon-liddy/) > [My name is R.J. Berger, and crime doesn't pay... at least not for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rj-berger/my-name-is-r-j-berger-and-crime-doesn-t-pay-at-least-not-for-me/) [RJ Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rj-berger/) > [The reason crime doesn't pay is that when it does, it is called a more respectable name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/the-reason-crime-doesn-t-pay-is-that-when-it-does-it-is-called-a-more/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [I hate this "crime doesn't pay" stuff. Crime in the United States is perhaps one of the biggest businesses in the world today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kirk/i-hate-this-crime-doesn-t-pay-stuff-crime-in-the-united-states-is/) Peter Kirk > [To make crime unprofitable, let the government run it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-peter/to-make-crime-unprofitable-let-the-government-run-it/) [Irene Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irene-peter/) > [Remember that every government service, every offer of government - financed security, is paid for in the loss of personal freedom... In the days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/remember-that-every-government-service-every-offer-of-government/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [If we go to school to learn, and knowledge is power and power is corrupt and corruption is crime and crime doesn't pay then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-we-go-to-school-to-learn-and-knowledge-is-power-and-power-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Books have knowledge, knowledge is power, power corrupts, corruption is a crime, and crime doesn't pay..so if you keep reading, you'll go broke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/books-and-music-facebook/books-have-knowledge-knowledge-is-power-power-corrupts-corruption-is/) Books and music. Facebook > [I really did grow up in a world where we were taught that crime doesn't pay and we stood up when the teacher came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-r-jaffe/i-really-did-grow-up-in-a-world-where-we-were-taught-that-crime-doesn/) [Stanley R. Jaffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-r-jaffe/) > [Over the years you encounter just about every kind of crime. It doesn't harden you, but you become capable of reporting on just about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-crier/over-the-years-you-encounter-just-about-every-kind-of-crime-it-doesn/) [Catherine Crier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-crier/) > [“When we wonder why crime doesn't stop or end. It is because the people who are committing it. We know them very well and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/de-philosopher-dj-kyos/when-we-wonder-why-crime-doesn-t-stop-or-end-it-is-because-the-people/) De philosopher DJ Kyos ## More by Ronald Reagan > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. So you learn. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/you-know-by-the-time-you-reach-my-age-you-ve-made-plenty-of-mistakes/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Yes, across Europe, this wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith; it cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/yes-across-europe-this-wall-will-fall-for-it-cannot-withstand-faith/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Simple fairness dictates that government must not raise taxes on families struggling to pay their bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/simple-fairness-dictates-that-government-must-not-raise-taxes-on/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The time has come to turn to God and reassert our trust in Him for the healing of America - our country is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-time-has-come-to-turn-to-god-and-reassert-our-trust-in-him-for/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Professional politicians like to talk about the value of experience in government. Nuts! 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George brought his ne're-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/a-moment-i-ve-been-dreading-george-brought-his-ne-re-do-well-son/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [On Father's Day, we pay tribute to all in our society who have taken on the responsibilitie s and joys of fatherhood. Whether our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/on-father-s-day-we-pay-tribute-to-all-in-our-society-who-have-taken/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/there-is-no-limit-to-the-amount-of-good-you-can-do-if-you-don-t-care/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [It's not that liberals aren't smart, it's just that so much of what they know isn't so](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/it-s-not-that-liberals-aren-t-smart-it-s-just-that-so-much-of-what/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Love your country, not for her power or wealth, but for her selflessness and her idealism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/love-your-country-not-for-her-power-or-wealth-but-for-her/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Explore all 1,244 Ronald Reagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) ## 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. 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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 [Browse all 8,359 Crime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One way to make sure crime doesn't pay would be to let the government run it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ronald Reagan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/one-way-to-make-sure-crime-doesn-t-pay-would-be-to-let-the-government/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crime" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/one-way-to-make-sure-crime-doesn-t-pay-would-be-to-let-the-government/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/ronald-reagan-119_crime_one-way-to-make-sure-crime-doesn-t-pay-w_246306.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/ronald-reagan-119_crime_one-way-to-make-sure-crime-doesn-t-pay-w_246306.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a85/ronald-reagan-119_crime_one-way-to-make-sure-crime-doesn-t-pay-w_246306.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One way to make sure crime doesn't pay would be to let the government run it.” — Ronald Reagan", "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": "Ronald Reagan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One way to make sure crime...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/one-way-to-make-sure-crime-doesn-t-pay-would-be-to-let-the-government/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/one-way-to-make-sure-crime-doesn-t-pay-would-be-to-let-the-government/#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 } } ] } ```