---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bandits and governments 'ave so much in…"
description: "\"“Bandits and governments 'ave so much in common that they might be interchangeable anywhere in the world...”\" — Terry Pratchett"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/terry-pratchett-19_bandits_bandits-and-governments-ave-so-much-in-c_2709207.jpg"
---

#  Bandits and governments 'ave so much in common that they…

![“Bandits and governments 'ave so much in common that they might be interchangeable anywhere in the world...” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/terry-pratchett-19_bandits_bandits-and-governments-ave-so-much-in-c_2709207.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/terry-pratchett-19_bandits_bandits-and-governments-ave-so-much-in-c_2709207.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/terry-pratchett-19_bandits_bandits-and-governments-ave-so-much-in-c_2709207.jpg)

> ““Bandits and governments 'ave so much in common that they might be interchangeable anywhere in the world...””

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

## About This Quote

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

Bandits and governments share traits, making them interchangeable worldwide.

**In simple terms:** Criminals and states can be alike.

Key Takeaway

Question power structures.

Themes

politics crime authority

Mood

witty critical

Type

literary political

When to use this quote

- government policy
- crime analysis
- activism

Key Concepts

sociology political theory

Questions to Reflect On

- When have you seen a government act ethically?
- Can criminal groups be reformable?

A Different Perspective

Not all governments are corrupt; some are benevolent.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bandits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bandits/) [Bandits Governments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bandits-governments-2794475/) [Governments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governments/) [Governments Ave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governments-ave-2794476/) [Interchangeable World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interchangeable-world-2794477/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/)

## Related quotes

> [He'd always known that the world was an interesting place, and his imagination had peopled it with pirates and bandits and spies and astronauts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/he-d-always-known-that-the-world-was-an-interesting-place-and-his/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [...Granny Weatherwax, who had walked nightly without fear in the bandit-haunted forests of the mountains all her life in the certain knowledge that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/granny-weatherwax-who-had-walked-nightly-without-fear-in-the-bandit/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [One of the hardest lessons in young Sam's life had been finding out that the people in charge weren't in charge. It had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/one-of-the-hardest-lessons-in-young-sam-s-life-had-been-finding-out/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“After all, if you can't trust governments, whom can you trust?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/after-all-if-you-can-t-trust-governments-whom-can-you-trust/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“No wonder there are bandits in the Campo when there are none but thieves, swindlers, and sanguinary macaques to rule us...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/no-wonder-there-are-bandits-in-the-campo-when-there-are-none-but/)

[Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/)

> [I would like to stress here that a lasting peace in the Chechen republic and so-called peace talks with the bandits are not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-yeltsin/i-would-like-to-stress-here-that-a-lasting-peace-in-the-chechen/)

[Boris Yeltsin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-yeltsin/)

> [The more prohibitions there are, the poorer the people will be. The more laws are promulgated, the more thieves and bandits there will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-more-prohibitions-there-are-the-poorer-the-people-will-be-the/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [In childhood, death stirred me not; in middle age, it pursued me like a prowling bandit on the road; now, grown an old man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/in-childhood-death-stirred-me-not-in-middle-age-it-pursued-me-like-a/)

[Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/)

> [“In medieval times, contrary to popular belief, most knights were bandits, mercenaries, lawless brigands, skinners, highwaymen, and thieves. The supposed chivalry of Charlemagne and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-wodicka/in-medieval-times-contrary-to-popular-belief-most-knights-were/)

[Tod Wodicka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-wodicka/)

> [Taxes are a barbaric remnant of ancient times in which early farmers, tied to the land, no longer able to roam freely, unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/taxes-are-a-barbaric-remnant-of-ancient-times-in-which-early-farmers/)

[L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/)

> [“We heard bandits return several nights after that, but they never again entered the house. It wasn't until after the war that I learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darlene-deibler-rose/we-heard-bandits-return-several-nights-after-that-but-they-never/)

[Darlene Deibler Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darlene-deibler-rose/)

> [The current health care takeover proposals feature a crucial payoff to Big Labor - a golden exemption from any tax on union members' generous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-malkin/the-current-health-care-takeover-proposals-feature-a-crucial-payoff/)

[Michelle Malkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-malkin/)

> [I foresee that man will resign himself each day to new abominations, and soon that only bandits and soldiers will be left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-foresee-that-man-will-resign-himself-each-day-to-new-abominations/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [Time is a vindictive bandit to steal the beauty of our former selves. We are left with sagging, rippled flesh and burning gums with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael/time-is-a-vindictive-bandit-to-steal-the-beauty-of-our-former-selves/)

[Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael/)

> [The most effective method of propaganda directed at the enemy forces is to release captured soldiers and give the wounded medical treatment... Whenever soldiers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/the-most-effective-method-of-propaganda-directed-at-the-enemy-forces/)

[Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/)

## More by Terry Pratchett

> [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“But I did not return until half past four this morning and I distinctly remember stubbing my toe on the stairs. I am as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-i-did-not-return-until-half-past-four-this-morning-and-i/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“Someone broke from the scrum and, punching and kicking, staggered towards the Klatchian goal. "Isn't that man your butler?" said Ahmed. "Yes." "One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/someone-broke-from-the-scrum-and-punching-and-kicking-staggered/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [You can't trust folk songs. They always sneak up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-can-t-trust-folk-songs-they-always-sneak-up-on-you/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“Magrat wondered what it was like, spending your whole life doing something you didn’t want to do. Like being dead, she considered, only worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/magrat-wondered-what-it-was-like-spending-your-whole-life-doing/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“There were more old people. The world was full of them,' said the wizard. 'Yes, I know. And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 'I'd like a hard-boiled egg,' said Vimes, shaking the match out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-d-like-freedom-truth-and-justice-wouldn-t-you-comrade-sergeant/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“You are not apprehensive, are you? I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Imagination, not intelligence, made us human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/imagination-not-intelligence-made-us-human/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

[Explore all 3,328 Terry Pratchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

## More Bandits quotes

> [The most effective method of propaganda directed at the enemy forces is to release captured soldiers and give the wounded medical treatment... Whenever soldiers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/the-most-effective-method-of-propaganda-directed-at-the-enemy-forces/)

[Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/)

> [Time is a vindictive bandit to steal the beauty of our former selves. We are left with sagging, rippled flesh and burning gums with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael/time-is-a-vindictive-bandit-to-steal-the-beauty-of-our-former-selves/)

[Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael/)

> [I foresee that man will resign himself each day to new abominations, and soon that only bandits and soldiers will be left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-foresee-that-man-will-resign-himself-each-day-to-new-abominations/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [The current health care takeover proposals feature a crucial payoff to Big Labor - a golden exemption from any tax on union members' generous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-malkin/the-current-health-care-takeover-proposals-feature-a-crucial-payoff/)

[Michelle Malkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-malkin/)

> [“We heard bandits return several nights after that, but they never again entered the house. It wasn't until after the war that I learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darlene-deibler-rose/we-heard-bandits-return-several-nights-after-that-but-they-never/)

[Darlene Deibler Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darlene-deibler-rose/)

> [Taxes are a barbaric remnant of ancient times in which early farmers, tied to the land, no longer able to roam freely, unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/taxes-are-a-barbaric-remnant-of-ancient-times-in-which-early-farmers/)

[L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/)

> [“In medieval times, contrary to popular belief, most knights were bandits, mercenaries, lawless brigands, skinners, highwaymen, and thieves. The supposed chivalry of Charlemagne and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-wodicka/in-medieval-times-contrary-to-popular-belief-most-knights-were/)

[Tod Wodicka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-wodicka/)

> [In childhood, death stirred me not; in middle age, it pursued me like a prowling bandit on the road; now, grown an old man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/in-childhood-death-stirred-me-not-in-middle-age-it-pursued-me-like-a/)

[Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/)

> [The more prohibitions there are, the poorer the people will be. The more laws are promulgated, the more thieves and bandits there will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-more-prohibitions-there-are-the-poorer-the-people-will-be-the/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [I would like to stress here that a lasting peace in the Chechen republic and so-called peace talks with the bandits are not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-yeltsin/i-would-like-to-stress-here-that-a-lasting-peace-in-the-chechen/)

[Boris Yeltsin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-yeltsin/)

> [“No wonder there are bandits in the Campo when there are none but thieves, swindlers, and sanguinary macaques to rule us...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/no-wonder-there-are-bandits-in-the-campo-when-there-are-none-but/)

[Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/)

> [Take away the Holocaust and what do you have left? Without their precious Holocaust, what are the Jews? Just a grubby little bunch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-covington/take-away-the-holocaust-and-what-do-you-have-left-without-their/)

[Harold Covington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-covington/)

> [“Numbers are outlaws--bandits. They make rules in your mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-emerson/numbers-are-outlaws-bandits-they-make-rules-in-your-mind/)

[Kevin Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-emerson/)

> [Guy Rivers, a conventional piece as regards the love affair which makes a part of the plot, is a tale of deadly strife between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-clinton-van-doren/guy-rivers-a-conventional-piece-as-regards-the-love-affair-which/)

[Carl Clinton Van Doren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-clinton-van-doren/)

> [Two weeks after having Bandit I was in a recording studio. I hadnt yet really fully understood what being a dad was and, man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/two-weeks-after-having-bandit-i-was-in-a-recording-studio-i-hadnt-yet/)

[Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/)

[Browse all 91 Bandits quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bandits/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Bandits and governments 'ave so much in common that they might be interchangeable anywhere in the world...”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Terry Pratchett"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/bandits-and-governments-ave-so-much-in-common-that-they-might-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bandits"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/bandits-and-governments-ave-so-much-in-common-that-they-might-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/terry-pratchett-19_bandits_bandits-and-governments-ave-so-much-in-c_2709207.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/terry-pratchett-19_bandits_bandits-and-governments-ave-so-much-in-c_2709207.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/terry-pratchett-19_bandits_bandits-and-governments-ave-so-much-in-c_2709207.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Bandits and governments 'ave so much in common that they might be interchangeable anywhere in the world...” — Terry Pratchett",
                "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": "Terry Pratchett",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Bandits and governments 'ave so much...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/bandits-and-governments-ave-so-much-in-common-that-they-might-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/bandits-and-governments-ave-so-much-in-common-that-they-might-be/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
