--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: but what should we do when the highborn…" description: "\"but what should we do when the highborn and wealthy take to crime? Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year in prison for stealing out of hunger, how hi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/terry-pratchett-19_break_but-what-should-we-do-when-the-highborn_2136827.jpg" --- # but what should we do when the highborn and wealthy take… ![“but what should we do when the highborn and wealthy take to crime? Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year in prison for stealing out of hunger, how high would the gallows need to be to hang the rich man who breaks the law out of greed?” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/terry-pratchett-19_break_but-what-should-we-do-when-the-highborn_2136827.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/terry-pratchett-19_break_but-what-should-we-do-when-the-highborn_2136827.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/terry-pratchett-19_break_but-what-should-we-do-when-the-highborn_2136827.jpg) > “but what should we do when the highborn and wealthy take to crime? Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year in prison for stealing out of hunger, how high would the gallows need to be to hang the rich man who breaks the law out of greed?” [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. Questions the fairness of justice when wealth influences punishment, highlighting inequality. **In simple terms:** Justice should be equal, not based on wealth. Key Takeaway Advocate for equitable legal systems. Themes justice wealth inequality ethics Mood critical thought‑provoking Type political social When to use this quote - courtroom reform - policy debate - activism Key Concepts social theory law economics Questions to Reflect On - What reforms could ensure equal justice? - How does wealth affect legal outcomes? A Different Perspective Wealthy individuals often evade punishment due to influence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Crime Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime-poor-349093/) [Gallows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gallows/) [Gallows Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gallows-need-1242597/) [Greed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greed/) [High Gallows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-gallows-1242599/) [Hunger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunger/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law Greed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-greed-1242598/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poor man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-man/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Rich man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich-man/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Stealing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stealing/) [Wealthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealthy/) [Wealthy Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealthy-crime-4431530/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [“Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year in prison for stealing out of hunger, how high would the gallows need to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/indeed-if-a-poor-man-will-spend-a-year-in-prison-for-stealing-out-of/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Perhaps our Congress will be Exalted on a high Gallows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-clark/perhaps-our-congress-will-be-exalted-on-a-high-gallows/) [Abraham Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-clark/) > [Poverty is a crime and the poor are terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/poverty-is-a-crime-and-the-poor-are-terrorists/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I think there is a lot of crime caused by desperation, and it doesn't mean that people commit crime because they're poor, but certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-moskos/i-think-there-is-a-lot-of-crime-caused-by-desperation-and-it-doesn-t/) [Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) > [All my businesses are scrupulously legal. 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You don't need to rob the bank if you own it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/crime-is-for-poor-people-you-don-t-need-to-rob-the-bank-if-you-own-it/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [Hemans gallows ought to be the fate of all such ambitious men who would involve their country in civil wars, and all the evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-jackson/hemans-gallows-ought-to-be-the-fate-of-all-such-ambitious-men-who/) [Andrew Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-jackson/) > [“Clergymen, judges, statesmen--the wisest, calmest, holiest persons of their day--stood in the inner circle round about the gallows, loudest to applaud the work of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/clergymen-judges-statesmen-the-wisest-calmest-holiest-persons-of/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Guess what it is that turns plants to coal. Pressure. 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Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [On the gallows tree, all men are brothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/on-the-gallows-tree-all-men-are-brothers/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He who is destined for the gallows will not drown,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/he-who-is-destined-for-the-gallows-will-not-drown/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) ## 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. 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I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Things are going well in Germany because the economy is booming and as an export-driven nation, we are profiting from the fact that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/things-are-going-well-in-germany-because-the-economy-is-booming-and/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [“He didn't break my heart. 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