# Quote — Teju Cole, Every Day Is for the Thief

> Hey, hey young guy, why trouble yourself? They'll take your money anyway, and they'll punish you by delaying your passport. Is that what you want? Aren't you more interested in getting your passport than trying to prove a point?

- Author: [Teju Cole](https://www.leafyquotes.com/teju-cole.md)
- Book: [Every Day Is for the Thief](https://www.leafyquotes.com/teju-cole/every-day-is-for-the-thief.md)
- Page: 12
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Teju_Cole#Every_Day_Is_for_the_Thief_(2007)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/teju-cole/every-day-is-for-the-thief/hey-hey-young

## More from this book

> while the buildings and roads of the capital city suggest a rational, orderly society, the reality is the opposite

p. 109 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/teju-cole/every-day-is-for-the-thief/while-the-buildings.md)

> thousands of cars over the course of a day would pay toll at the informal rate, lining the pockets of the collectors and their superiors

p. 18 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/teju-cole/every-day-is-for-the-thief/thousands-of-cars.md)

> Precisely because everyone takes a shortcut, nothing works and, for this reason, the only way to get anything done is to take another shortcut.”

p. 19 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/teju-cole/every-day-is-for-the-thief/precisely-because-everyone.md)