--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year…" description: "\"“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 th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdc/terry-pratchett-19_greed_indeed-if-a-poor-man-will-spend-a-year-i_2520237.jpg" --- # Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year in prison for… ![“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/cdc/terry-pratchett-19_greed_indeed-if-a-poor-man-will-spend-a-year-i_2520237.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdc/terry-pratchett-19_greed_indeed-if-a-poor-man-will-spend-a-year-i_2520237.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdc/terry-pratchett-19_greed_indeed-if-a-poor-man-will-spend-a-year-i_2520237.jpg) > ““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. A poor man’s hunger crime is punished harshly, while a rich man’s greed may go unpunished. **In simple terms:** Justice is uneven between poor and rich. Key Takeaway Seek fair justice for all. Themes ethics social inequality justice Mood critical thought‑provoking Type philosophical satirical When to use this quote - court sentencing - policy making - activism - community advocacy Key Concepts poverty greed legal system class disparity Questions to Reflect On - What reforms could equalize justice? - How does wealth influence legal outcomes? A Different Perspective Legal systems can be biased despite intentions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Greed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greed/) [Poor man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-man/) [Rich man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich-man/) ## Related quotes > [but what should we do when the highborn and wealthy take to crime? Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year in prison…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-what-should-we-do-when-the-highborn-and-wealthy-take-to-crime/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I didn’t paint my paintings to hang in some rich guy’s living room,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-fasanella/i-didn-t-paint-my-paintings-to-hang-in-some-rich-guy-s-living-room/) Ralph Fasanella > [You don't want money to make you a social freak where you can only hang out with rich people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-norton/you-don-t-want-money-to-make-you-a-social-freak-where-you-can-only/) [Graham Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-norton/) > [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/) > [I did almost a year in prison, a year in prison, just because my name is Foxy Brown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foxy-brown/i-did-almost-a-year-in-prison-a-year-in-prison-just-because-my-name/) [Foxy Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foxy-brown/) > [In Israel, the maximum legal penalty for denying the existence of God is one year in prison, while the punishment for denying the existence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/in-israel-the-maximum-legal-penalty-for-denying-the-existence-of-god/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [Typically, you get a year in prison for making a threat to assassinate the president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/typically-you-get-a-year-in-prison-for-making-a-threat-to-assassinate/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [The fact that, in the United States, there are people serving ten-year prison terms for growing marijuana plants in their backyards while Wall Street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haskell-smith/the-fact-that-in-the-united-states-there-are-people-serving-ten-year/) Mark Haskell Smith > [I had a lot of time and the first year I was in prison, I tried to get the party to stop the shooting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-newton/i-had-a-lot-of-time-and-the-first-year-i-was-in-prison-i-tried-to-get/) [Huey Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-newton/) > [Being young is an 18 year prison sentence for a crime your parents committed. But you do get time off for good behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/being-young-is-an-18-year-prison-sentence-for-a-crime-your-parents/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Listening to the radio every day for an entire year was a prison sentence. It was the most depressing, annoying, debilitating project I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/listening-to-the-radio-every-day-for-an-entire-year-was-a-prison/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [“The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. He earned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-reason-that-the-rich-were-so-rich-vimes-reasoned-was-because-they/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“How could anything be the same? The red of blood lay over the market road in slick pools mingled with a yellow spread of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-desai/how-could-anything-be-the-same-the-red-of-blood-lay-over-the-market/) [Kiran Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-desai/) > [“I didn't do any of what they told me,' she said, 'because the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-didn-t-do-any-of-what-they-told-me-she-said-because-the-more-i/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“To our benefit, death isn't affected by an economic failure, and it never takes a holiday. In addition, a bereaved rich man is easier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-ford/to-our-benefit-death-isn-t-affected-by-an-economic-failure-and-it/) [Jeffrey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-ford/) ## 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 Greed quotes > [Stephanie could see the greed seep into the watery eyes of her father’s other brother, a horrible little man called Fergus, as he nodded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/stephanie-could-see-the-greed-seep-into-the-watery-eyes-of-her-father/) [Derek Landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/) > [ “Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari \[living a worldly life\] regardless of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-deceit-greed-there-is-worldly/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“THE UNFORGIVEN Tell me if you've ever had to deal with these kinds of people: The kind who take and don't give. The kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/the-unforgiven-tell-me-if-you-ve-ever-had-to-deal-with-these-kinds-of/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [The law is the collective organization of the individual's right to lawful defense of his life, liberty and property. When it is used for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-law-is-the-collective-organization-of-the-individual-s-right-to/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [“The fact that they viewed their wealth as a result of their own hands, without any honor other than lip service being given to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-goff/the-fact-that-they-viewed-their-wealth-as-a-result-of-their-own-hands/) [Lee Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-goff/) > [“Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/be-fearful-when-others-are-greedy-and-be-greedy-when-others-are/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [avarice breeds envy, a worm that is always gnawing, letting the avaricious enjoy neither their own nor anyone else's good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/avarice-breeds-envy-a-worm-that-is-always-gnawing-letting-the/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [“In a similar way, The Art of War pinpoints anger and greed as fundamental causes of defeat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/in-a-similar-way-the-art-of-war-pinpoints-anger-and-greed-as/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Who does not know that kings and rulers sprang from men who were ignorant of God, who assumed because of blind greed and intolerable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-gregory-vii/who-does-not-know-that-kings-and-rulers-sprang-from-men-who-were/) [Pope Gregory VII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-gregory-vii/) > [''And one day when all is gone and mankind is lost, all he leaves is the desert.'' ''For man is his own demise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/and-one-day-when-all-is-gone-and-mankind-is-lost-all-he-leaves-is-the/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [“Wisdom teaches us that our real enemies are never other living beings. They are ignorance and its minions, including greed, hatred, anger, pride, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-newland/wisdom-teaches-us-that-our-real-enemies-are-never-other-living-beings/) Guy Newland > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [The universe appears to me like an immense, inexorable torture-garden…Passions, greed, hatred, and lies; social institutions, justice, love, glory, heroism, and religion: these are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octave-mirbeau/the-universe-appears-to-me-like-an-immense-inexorable-torture-garden/) [Octave Mirbeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octave-mirbeau/) > [“Thankfulness acknowledges that we can’t own anything, but we can experience everything. And just knowing that makes me thankful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/thankfulness-acknowledges-that-we-can-t-own-anything-but-we-can/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [Con men look for human frailty to exploit. This is most often greed. Trump found a different vice: anger. The emotional are always the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-meyer/con-men-look-for-human-frailty-to-exploit-this-is-most-often-greed/) [Pamela Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-meyer/) [Browse all 2,232 Greed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“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?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry Pratchett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/indeed-if-a-poor-man-will-spend-a-year-in-prison-for-stealing-out-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Greed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/indeed-if-a-poor-man-will-spend-a-year-in-prison-for-stealing-out-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdc/terry-pratchett-19_greed_indeed-if-a-poor-man-will-spend-a-year-i_2520237.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdc/terry-pratchett-19_greed_indeed-if-a-poor-man-will-spend-a-year-i_2520237.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdc/terry-pratchett-19_greed_indeed-if-a-poor-man-will-spend-a-year-i_2520237.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year in prison for stealing out of hunger, how high would the gallows…” — 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": "“Indeed, if a poor man will...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/indeed-if-a-poor-man-will-spend-a-year-in-prison-for-stealing-out-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/indeed-if-a-poor-man-will-spend-a-year-in-prison-for-stealing-out-of/#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 } } ] } ```