Speak of the devil

Meaning: Said when someone appears just as they're being discussed.

Origin: English proverb from the 16th century, originally warning against summoning evil.

Translations

French: Quand on parle du loup, on en voit la queue (literally: Speak of the wolf, you see its tail)
Spanish: Hablando del rey de Roma, por la puerta asoma (literally: Speaking of the king of Rome, through the door he appears)
Japanese: 噂をすれば影 (Uwasa wo sureba kage) (literally: Speak of rumors, and a shadow appears)

You can't please everyone — It's impossible to satisfy every person all the time.
A leopard can't change its spots — People can't fundamentally change their nature.
When the cat's away, the mice will play — People behave freely when authority is absent.
A leopard never forgets — Certain offenses are never truly forgiven.
Lightning never strikes twice — Rare events are unlikely to happen to the same person twice.
To each their own — Everyone has their own preferences and choices.

Loading the full interactive collection…