--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you can't be good, don't get caught!" description: "\"“If you can't be good, don't get caught!”\" — Seán Gearárd McCloskey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/se-n-gear-rd-mccloskey-90405_quote_if-you-can-t-be-good-don-t-get-caught-21_2129253.jpg" --- # If you can't be good, don't get caught! ![“If you can't be good, don't get caught!” quote by Seán Gearárd McCloskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/se-n-gear-rd-mccloskey-90405_quote_if-you-can-t-be-good-don-t-get-caught-21_2129253.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/se-n-gear-rd-mccloskey-90405_quote_if-you-can-t-be-good-don-t-get-caught-21_2129253.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/se-n-gear-rd-mccloskey-90405_quote_if-you-can-t-be-good-don-t-get-caught-21_2129253.jpg) > ““If you can't be good, don't get caught!”” Seán Gearárd McCloskey ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encourages avoiding detection when one cannot act honorably, implying a pragmatic, perhaps immoral, stance. **In simple terms:** Don't get caught if you can't be good. Key Takeaway Avoid unethical actions. Themes ethics pragmatism risk Mood cynical defiant Type Caught:1 Good:0 Good Don:0 Don Caught:0 When to use this quote - criminal activity - street life - personal decision making Key Concepts moral compromise self-preservation Questions to Reflect On - Is short‑term safety worth long‑term conscience loss? - How does this reflect on personal values? A Different Perspective Such advice may erode personal integrity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Be good or don't get caught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/traci-lords/be-good-or-don-t-get-caught/) [Traci Lords](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/traci-lords/) > [“If there was something that all the time had in common, what your English teacher would call a "theme," it would be this: Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-benoit/if-there-was-something-that-all-the-time-had-in-common-what-your/) [Charles Benoit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-benoit/) > [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/) > [Women do fool around. But the reason they don't get caught is that when a woman mess with a man he lives cross town,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bruce/women-do-fool-around-but-the-reason-they-don-t-get-caught-is-that/) [Bruce Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bruce/) > [It doesn't count if you don't get caught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-doesn-t-count-if-you-don-t-get-caught/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't get caught up in the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-don-t-get-caught-up-in-the-moment/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [How many times have I told you, don't get caught by the bad guys!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-o-neill/how-many-times-have-i-told-you-don-t-get-caught-by-the-bad-guys/) [Jack O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-o-neill/) > [Or maybe crying is like everything else we do- it's best if you don't get caught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/or-maybe-crying-is-like-everything-else-we-do-it-s-best-if-you-don-t/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [The message I understood was this: Just don't get caught!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrik-sinkewitz/the-message-i-understood-was-this-just-don-t-get-caught/) [Patrik Sinkewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrik-sinkewitz/) > [What ever you do-Don't get caught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-jinks/what-ever-you-do-don-t-get-caught/) [Catherine Jinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-jinks/) > [Love the neighbor. But don't get caught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/love-the-neighbor-but-don-t-get-caught/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“when people mean to be good to you, you don't mind very much when they're not quite--always.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-mean-to-be-good-to-you-you-don-t-mind-very-much-when-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Something I think that I'm good at is that I don't complain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gianluca-vialli/something-i-think-that-i-m-good-at-is-that-i-don-t-complain/) [Gianluca Vialli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gianluca-vialli/) > [So I'll do that, and I'll do my best and if my best isn't good enough, at least I will have done everything I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-nix/so-i-ll-do-that-and-i-ll-do-my-best-and-if-my-best-isn-t-good-enough/) [Garth Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-nix/) > [It's always good to find out what you don't want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrissey/it-s-always-good-to-find-out-what-you-don-t-want-to-do/) [David Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrissey/) ## More by Seán Gearárd McCloskey > [“Britain: A nation that keeps a stiff upper lip, takes it on the chin without complaining, plays fair at all times and is by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/se-n-gear-rd-mccloskey/britain-a-nation-that-keeps-a-stiff-upper-lip-takes-it-on-the-chin/) Seán Gearárd McCloskey Explore all 2 Seán Gearárd McCloskey quotes ## More Caught quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. 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That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-johnson/hollywood-is-very-much-an-industry-town-your-life-becomes-caught-up/) [Don Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-johnson/) > [I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/) [Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/) > [Merkel has realized that the euro is not working, but she cannot change the narrative she has created because that narrative has caught the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/merkel-has-realized-that-the-euro-is-not-working-but-she-cannot/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Sam reached his hand toward mine and I automatically put my fingers in his. With a guilty little smile he pulled my hand toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/sam-reached-his-hand-toward-mine-and-i-automatically-put-my-fingers/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [I never caught on to being a bully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-nolte/i-never-caught-on-to-being-a-bully/) [Nick Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-nolte/) > [“I caught you!" he beamed. "See, girls really do throw themselves at me. Hey, guys!" His voice echoed off the carved stone and marble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-kirk/i-caught-you-he-beamed-see-girls-really-do-throw-themselves-at-me-hey/) A&E Kirk > [In the olden days in England, you could be hung for stealing a sheep or a loaf of bread. However, if a sheep stole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-harding/in-the-olden-days-in-england-you-could-be-hung-for-stealing-a-sheep/) [Mike Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-harding/) > [Everybody here is so caught up in the game of life they don't see death. They don't see beyond their deaths. They are on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everybody-here-is-so-caught-up-in-the-game-of-life-they-don-t-see/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [America today is a confused society, caught up in a terror war, a culture war, and a media war, where honesty and professional standards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/america-today-is-a-confused-society-caught-up-in-a-terror-war-a/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [My phone rings, they call me up and say, 'Chael, your testosterone level is too high.' I say, 'Well, how high was it?' They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/my-phone-rings-they-call-me-up-and-say-chael-your-testosterone-level/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [Do not be caught up in materialism, one of the real plagues of our generation-that is, acquiring things, fast-paced living, and securing career success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/do-not-be-caught-up-in-materialism-one-of-the-real-plagues-of-our/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) Browse all 2,627 Caught quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If you can't be good, don't get caught!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seán Gearárd McCloskey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/se-n-gear-rd-mccloskey/if-you-can-t-be-good-don-t-get-caught/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Caught" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/se-n-gear-rd-mccloskey/if-you-can-t-be-good-don-t-get-caught/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/se-n-gear-rd-mccloskey-90405_quote_if-you-can-t-be-good-don-t-get-caught-21_2129253.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/se-n-gear-rd-mccloskey-90405_quote_if-you-can-t-be-good-don-t-get-caught-21_2129253.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/se-n-gear-rd-mccloskey-90405_quote_if-you-can-t-be-good-don-t-get-caught-21_2129253.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you can't be good, don't get caught!” — Seán Gearárd McCloskey", "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": "Seán Gearárd McCloskey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/se-n-gear-rd-mccloskey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If you can't be good, don't...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/se-n-gear-rd-mccloskey/if-you-can-t-be-good-don-t-get-caught/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/se-n-gear-rd-mccloskey/if-you-can-t-be-good-don-t-get-caught/#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 } } ] } ```