ProverbPerseverance
Italian origin
Italian originLa farina del diavolo va tutta in crusca
Meaning: Wealth gained dishonestly brings no lasting benefit.
Literally: The devil's flour all turns to bran
Example: “Si è arricchito truffando, e ha perso tutto in un anno. La farina del diavolo va tutta in crusca.” — He got rich by fraud and lost it all in a year: ill-gotten gains never prosper.
Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and 4 more languages
English: Ill-gotten gains never prosper
French: Bien mal acquis ne profite jamais (literally: Ill-gotten goods never profit)
Spanish: Bienes mal adquiridos a nadie han enriquecido (literally: Ill-acquired goods have enriched no one)
Japanese: 悪銭身につかず (Akusen mi ni tsukazu) (literally: Ill-gotten money does not stay with you)
German: Unrecht Gut gedeiht nicht (literally: Wrongfully gotten goods do not thrive)
Dutch: Gestolen goed gedijt niet (literally: Stolen goods don't thrive)
Polish: Kradzione nie tuczy (literally: Stolen food doesn't fatten)
Chinese: 悖入悖出 (Bèi rù bèi chū) (literally: Wrongly in, wrongly out)
Turkish: Haramın temeli olmaz (literally: Ill-gotten gain has no foundation)
Origin: Bran is the husk left over after milling, the worthless part; flour from the devil's mill ends up as nothing else.
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