He that will steal an egg will steal an ox.
Meaning: Small moral breaches signal willingness to commit greater crimes when opportunity and stakes increase.
Origin: A small theft reveals a character capable of a great one. The proverb is found in several European languages, including Romanian.
More proverbs about Challenge
- He that will steal a pin will steal a better thing. — Small moral compromises create a slippery slope toward committing greater wrongs.
- Little sticks kindle the fire, but great ones put it out. — Small initial efforts build momentum, while overwhelming force can extinguish fragile pro…
- He that will not go over the stile must be thrust through the gate. — Stubbornness in resisting one path merely ensures forced submission through a harder, mor…
- Trust not still water nor a silent man. — Stillness can mask danger; silence often conceals intentions, schemes, or untapped depths…
- After a storm comes a calm. — Hardship is temporary; peaceful periods naturally follow difficult ones.
- Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. — Worrying about tomorrow's troubles prevents you from managing today's actual problems eff…
From our tongue twisters
- 黑化肥发黑会挥发；灰化肥发灰会挥发。(Hēihuàféi fā hēi huì huīfā; huīhuàféi fā huī huì huīfā.) — A 'hēi/huī/huì/fā' four-tone minefield — the tones alone change every meaning.
- De kat krabt de krullen van de trap. — A 'kr' cluster drill — Dutch consonant pileups that beginners approach with dread.
- Als vliegen achter vliegen vliegen, vliegen vliegen vliegen achterna. — The same noun/verb homograph trap as the German version — vliegen does triple duty.