Sayings about Thieves & Stealing
What the thief stole has always been called expensive. ~ Iranian Proverb
Opportunity makes the thief. ~ English Proverbs
It is difficult to steal when the boss is a thief. ~ Icelandic Proverbs
The chicken-thief does not listen to the chicken’s prayer. ~ Zanzibar Proverb
The accomplice is as bad as the thief. ~ Portuguese Proverbs
He that does not bring up his son to some honest calling and employment, brings him up to be a thief. ~ Jewish Proverb
The thief can lie, those he has stolen from cannot. ~ Turkish Proverb
There is honor among thieves. ~ English Proverb
He who marries a widow with three children, marries four thieves. ~ American Proverb
If you are going out to steal, go alone — otherwise there is a witness. ~ Kyrgyzstani Proverb
You can’t steal second base with your foot on first. ~ American Proverb
Wasting time is stealing from oneself. ~ Estonian Proverb
He who does not feed the dog feeds the thief. ~ Chinese Proverb
The thief who has no opportunity to steal thinks he is an honest man. ~ Hebrew Proverb
The potter sleeps soundly, for no one would steal clay. ~ Indian Proverb
If a rich man steals it is a mistake; if a poor man makes a mistake he has stolen. ~ Moroccan Proverb
Drink a glass of wine after your soup and you will be stealing a ruble from the doctor. ~ Ukranian Proverb
One cry of “Thief!” and the whole marketplace is on the lookout. ~ Nigerian Proverb
A fair booty makes a fair thief. ~ English Proverb
A thief has more than two hands. ~ Chinese Proverb
Even a thief takes ten years to learn his trade. ~ Japanese Proverb
The open house makes a good man of the thief. ~ Spanish Proverb
An old man telling lies is like a rich man stealing. ~ Russian Proverb
The thief that is not caught is a king. ~ Indian Proverb
The big thieves hang the little ones. ~ Czech Proverb
Procrastination is the thief of time. ~ Chinese Proverb
If I am seen I am joking; if I am not seen I steal. ~ German Proverb
It’s no crime to steal from a thief. ~ Spanish Proverb
The thief thinks everybody steals. ~ Norwegian Proverb
The black man steals just half of very little, but the white man steals the whole sugar plantation. ~ Jamaican Proverb
It is not easy to steal where the landlord is a thief. ~ Irish proverb
He who does not teach his son a trade teaches him to steal. ~ Hebrew Proverb
Stealing leads to poverty. ~ Iraqi Proverb
The thief has a chicken’s heart — he sleeps in fear. ~ Russian Proverb
The naked don’t fear robbery. ~ Russian Proverb
The thief shouts to frighten the hell out of his victim. ~ Greek Proverb
A liar will steal and a thief will kill. ~ African-American Proverb
The hunter who always comes home with meat is a thief. ~ Bantu Proverb
A thief’s end is hanging. ~ Yiddish Proverb
Pleasures steal away the mind. ~ Dutch Proverb
Better a thief for a neighbor than an overzealous rabbi. ~ Yiddish Proverb
It is a beggar’s pride that he is not a thief. ~ Japanese Proverb
He who has learned how to steal, must learn how to hang. ~ Malay Proverb
A hand that has been chopped off cannot steal any more. ~ Islamic Proverb
If you love, love the moon; if you steal, steal a camel. ~ Egyptian Proverb
He who forgives a thief is a thief himself. ~ Spanish Proverb
When the thief has stolen from a thief, God laughs in heaven. ~ Armenian Proverb
What’s left over from the thief is spent on the fortune-teller. ~ Yiddish Proverb
Debts make the thief. ~ Malagasy Proverb
There is no worse robber than a bad book. ~ Italian Proverb
If you steal something small you are a petty thief, but if you steal millions you are a gentleman of society. ~ Greek Proverb
A thief who steals from a thief is not a thief. ~ German Proverb
He who has had enough to eat thinks of serving God; the hungry think of stealing. ~ Tibetan Proverb
On a thief, the hat’s on fire. ~ Polish Proverb
Show me a liar, and I’ll show you a thief. ~ French Proverb
When a beautiful woman does not steal, she takes you. ~ Burkinabe Proverb
Don’t shut the barn door after the horse is stolen. ~ Traditional Proverb
Stealing may bring profit, but hanging costs far more. ~ Cambodian Proverb
Give a thief enough rope and he’ll hang himself. ~ Traditional Proverb
A thorn defends the rose, harming only those who would steal the blossom. ~ Chinese Proverb
Who steals for others is hanged for himself. ~ Sardinian Proverb
The great scholar forgets about fame, the average scholar works for it, and the unworthy scholar steals it. ~ Chinese Proverb
If you fall in love let her be a beauty; if you should steal, let it be a camel. ~ Lebanese Proverb
A thief is always under suspicion. ~ Somali Proverb
A liar is worse than a thief. ~ Traditional Proverb
The thief is no danger to the beggar. ~ Irish Proverb
Set a thief to catch a thief. ~ French Proverb
God laughs when you steal from a thief. ~ Indian Proverb
A good thief is the best guardian. ~ Guyanese Proverb
When a thief finds nothing to steal he will steal a dagger made of sand. ~ Berber Proverb
To pick up in a clumsy way is stealing, to steal in a skillful way is to pick up. ~ Armenian Proverb
A thief is a thief, whether he steals a diamond or a cucumber. ~ Indian Proverb
He who holds the ladder is as bad as the thief. ~ German Proverb
He that will steal an egg will steal an ox. ~ English Proverb
The guard’s sleep is the lamplight of the thief. ~ Iranian Proverb
A thief does not like to be robbed. ~ Bantu Proverb
If you don’t want to be hung yourself, blame the dog for stealing the sausage. ~ German Proverb
Learning is a treasure no thief can touch. ~ Indian Proverb
You can lock your door from a thief, but not from a damned liar. ~ Virgin Islander Proverb
The thief makes perhaps one mistake; those he stole from made a hundred. ~ Russian Proverb
Lie to a liar, for lies are his coin; Steal from a thief, for that is easy; lay a trap for a trickster and catch him at first attempt, but beware of an honest man. ~ Arabian Proverb
Steal goods and you’ll go to prison, steal lands and you are a king. ~ Japanese Proverb
It is hard to steal where the host is a thief. ~ Dutch Proverb
If you are going to steal bells plug your ears. ~ Mongolian Proverb
Where rich people can make honest money, poor people have to steal. ~ Gypsy Proverb
A daily guest is a thief in the kitchen. ~ Spanish Proverb
There’s no thief like a bad book. ~ Italian Proverb
Time and place make the thief. ~ Dutch Proverb
Don’t be a thief and you won’t fear the king. ~ Afghan Proverb
Save a thief from the gallows and he will cut your throat. ~ French Proverb
Grass does not grow on the nose of a thief. ~ Nigerian Proverb
Buying on credit is robbing next year’s crop. ~ American Proverb
The liar and the thief rejoice in their first year only. ~ Greek Proverb
When a thief kisses you, count your teeth. ~ Yiddish Proverb
The thief who isn’t caught is an honest salesman. ~ Romanian Proverb
Treat me as a rabbi, but watch over me as a thief. ~ Yiddish Proverb
Everyone is a thief in his own craft. ~ Dutch Proverb
You don’t steal a bitter eggplant. ~ Turkish Proverb
He who steals honey, licks his fingers. ~ Turkish Proverb
Don’t call a man honest just because he never had the chance to steal. ~ Yiddish Proverb
Cold teaches a man how to steal charcoal. ~ Moroccan Proverb
A thief is a king till he’s caught. ~ Iranian Proverb
A daily guest is a great thief in the kitchen. ~ Dutch Proverb
Fail to steal the chicken while it ate up your bait grain. ~ Chinese Proverb
A greedy father has thieves for children. ~ Serbian Proverb
If you buy what you don’t need, you steal from yourself. ~ Swedish Proverb
Stroke your dog and he will steal eggs. ~ Bantu Proverb
These can never be true friends: Hope, dice, a prostitute, a robber, a cheat, a goldsmith, a monkey, a doctor, a distiller. ~ Indian Proverb
The open door invites the thief. ~ Dutch Proverb
Lying and stealing are next door neighbors. ~ Saudi Arabian Proverb
The thief hates the moon. ~ Korean Proverb
If you forgive the fox for stealing your chickens, he will take your sheep. ~ Georgian Proverb
When it thunders the thief becomes honest. ~ Italian Proverb
Justice is better than admiration If you are going to kill, then kill an elephant; if you are going to steal make sure it’s a treasure. ~ Indian Proverb
When you treat someone like a wild cat, he will steal your chickens. ~ Malagasy Proverb
A lazy thief is better than a lazy servant. ~ Swedish Proverb
Thieves never steal bells. ~ Tibetan Proverb
Quotations about Thieves & Stealing
Friends are thieves of time. ~ Francis Bacon
Stolen kisses are always sweetest. ~ Leigh Hunt
Who steals my purse, steals trash, but he that filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him and makes me poor indeed. ~ William Shakespeare
What do the nationalists say about killers punishing murderers and thieves sentencing looters? ~ Kahlil Gibran
Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves – regret for the past and fear of the future. ~ Fulton Oursler
Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats. ~ Howard Aiken
He who will not apply himself to business, eventually discovers that he means to get his bread by cheating, stealing, or begging, or else is wholly void of reason. ~ Ischomachus
Progress always involves risk; you can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first base. ~ Frederick Wilcox
Bad artists copy. Good artists steal. ~ Pablo Picasso
When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn’t work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me. ~ Emo Philips
Let us not forget that the greatest composers where also the greatest thieves. They stole from everyone and everywhere. ~ Pablo Casals
The robb’d that smiles steals something from the thief: He robs himself that spends a bootless grief. ~ William Shakespeare
The thief and the murderer follow nature just as much as the philanthropist. ~ Thomas Henry Huxley
It is long and hard and painful to create life: it is short and easy to steal the life others have made. ~ George Bernard Shaw
About the most originality that any writer can hope to achieve honestly is to steal with good judgment. ~ Josh Billings
Lie to a liar, for lies are his coin; Steal from a thief, for that is easy; lay a trap for a trickster and catch him at first attempt, but beware of an honest man. ~ Arabian Proverb
Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you. ~ Oscar Wilde
Thieves respect property. They merely wish the property to become their property that they may more perfectly respect it. ~ G. K. Chesterton
Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal. ~ T.S. Eliot
Jealousy is a dog’s bark which attracts thieves. ~ Karl Kraus
One bush, they say, can never hide two thieves. ~ Aristophanes
Small faults indulged are little thieves that let in greater. ~ Thomas Fuller
Oh God, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains! ~ William Shakespeare
Why grab possessions like thieves, or divide them like socialists, when you can ignore them like wise men?” ~ Natalie Clifford Barney
Let us not forget that the greatest composers where also the greatest thieves. They stole from everyone and everywhere. ~ Pablo Casals
The passing years steal from us one thing after another. ~ Horace