ProverbMorality
English origin
English originWhen it thunders the thief becomes honest.
Meaning: Fear of divine punishment temporarily reforms even the most dishonest when facing greater power.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
Equivalents in Italian
Italian: Quando tuona, il ladro divien uomo dabbene (literally: When it thunders, the thief becomes honest)
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