Como dizer "a ocasião faz o ladrão" em inglês

Donay Mendonça 23 127 1.7k
Português: a ocasião faz o ladrão
Inglês: opportunity makes a thief


I have heard this expression referring to actual theft by someone who wouldn't normally be a thief. If, for example, you leave something very valuable lying around unprotected, even if nobody comes with the intention of stealing it, opportunity may prove to be tempting and turn an ordinary citizen into a thief. - Wordreference


Exemplos:
  1. Mr. Cooper thought of himself as a moral man. But opportunity makes a thief, and with the safe unguarded he had the opportunity to steal thousands of dollars undetected.

AMPLIANDO O VOCABULÁRIO
Isa Mara Lando é uma referência entre os profissionais de tradução. Ela já traduziu mais de 100 livros, entre eles estão obras de autores aclamados, como: George Orwell, Salman Rushdie e Walter Isaacson (a biografia de Einstein). Nesta aula gratuita, Isa dá várias dicas de vocabulário. ACESSAR AULA
1 resposta
Thomas 7 62 297
Although it is true that this is an old British proverb, it is seldom heard or used in English today. In Portuguese and Spanish (and other languages too), it seems to be quite common. Possibly this reflects a cultural difference in how thefts are regarded.