What most needs explanation is not why some people are criminals, but why most people are not.
James Q. WilsonRead
Crime is the price society pays for abandoning character.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Society's moral decay leads to crime when character is neglected.
This quote suggests that the increase in crime within a society is directly linked to a decline in moral character among its members. When individuals prioritize personal interests over communal values and ethics, the fabric of society weakens, resulting in higher instances of criminal behavior as the moral compass falters.
Themes
CrimeSocietyCharacterMoralityEthics
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about crime rates on a podcast, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of character in society.
More from James Q. Wilson
All quotes βBoys are more likely to develop a masculine personality and acquire strong moral standards when they have a loving and nurturant rather than a threatening or fear-inspiring father.
James Q. WilsonRead
Similar quotes
It is only in solitude that I ever find my own core.
Anne Morrow LindberghRead
A heathen philosopher once asked a Christian, 'Where is God'? The Christian answered, 'Let me first ask you, Where is He not?'
Aaron ArrowsmithRead
They'd smash up the world if they thought it would make a pretty noise.
Terry PratchettRead
Neither of my parents went to church, but they did everything that you needed to do to be Christian. That's something a Quaker would call an intimation of the divine.
Terry PratchettRead
And then what?" said her daemon sleepily. "Build what?" "The Republic of Heaven," said Lyra.
Philip PullmanRead
Sorrow has the fortunate peculiarity that it preys upon itself. It dies of starvation. Since it is essentially an interruption of habits, it can be replaced by new habits. Constituting, as it does, a void, it is soon filled up by a real horror vacuum.
August StrindbergRead