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Stealing Proverbs

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


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

Categories: Hard Times