--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Criminals, because they’re plagued with…" description: "\"“Criminals, because they’re plagued with guilt, often will surrender and go quietly. Outlaws, because they’re pure, never will.”\" — Tom Robbins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/tom-robbins-169_crime_criminals-because-they-re-plagued-with-g_1599495.jpg" --- # Criminals, because they’re plagued with guilt, often will… ![“Criminals, because they’re plagued with guilt, often will surrender and go quietly. Outlaws, because they’re pure, never will.” quote by Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/tom-robbins-169_crime_criminals-because-they-re-plagued-with-g_1599495.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/tom-robbins-169_crime_criminals-because-they-re-plagued-with-g_1599495.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/tom-robbins-169_crime_criminals-because-they-re-plagued-with-g_1599495.jpg) > ““Criminals, because they’re plagued with guilt, often will surrender and go quietly. Outlaws, because they’re pure, never will.”” [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Criminals act out of guilt and may surrender; outlaws act from pure intent and resist. **In simple terms:** Guilt leads to surrender; purity leads to defiance. Key Takeaway Recognize motives behind actions. Themes morality guilt purity defiance Mood thoughtful analytical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - law enforcement - personal decisions - conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology ethics behavior Questions to Reflect On - What drives a person to resist despite guilt? - Is purity truly pure? A Different Perspective Assumes purity is always positive, ignoring nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [Outlaws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outlaws/) ## Related quotes > [Outlaws, like lovers, poets, and tubercular composers who cough blood onto piano keys, do their finest work in the slippery rays of the moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/outlaws-like-lovers-poets-and-tubercular-composers-who-cough-blood/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“As long as there are fuses, no walls are safe. 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However, they may be important to society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/outlaws-are-not-members-of-society-however-they-may-be-important-to/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Outlaws are can openers in the supermarket of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/outlaws-are-can-openers-in-the-supermarket-of-life/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [When evolution has been outlawed, only the outlaws will evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/when-evolution-has-been-outlawed-only-the-outlaws-will-evolve/) [Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/) > [Civilization may be said indeed to be the creation of its outlaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/civilization-may-be-said-indeed-to-be-the-creation-of-its-outlaws/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Is it possible to write a poem or are these words just screams of outlaws exiled to the desert?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/is-it-possible-to-write-a-poem-or-are-these-words-just-screams-of/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“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/) > [Just cause? just cause because we're outlaws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-day/just-cause-just-cause-because-we-re-outlaws/) [Green Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-day/) > [“The trick is to control them without any provocation, but outlaws are very easily provoked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-trick-is-to-control-them-without-any-provocation-but-outlaws-are/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“Earth. 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