# if you can't do the time, don't do the crime

> English word · Proverb

## Definitions
1. One should not carry out an action if one is unwilling to handle the consequences.

## Etymology
From do time (“to serve a prison sentence”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/if-you-can-t-do-the-time-don-t-do-the-crime