I ten złodziej, co kradnie, i ten, co złodziejowi drabinę trzyma.
Listen
What it means
“Both the thief who steals and the one who holds the ladder for the thief are thieves.” Complicity in wrongdoing makes you equally guilty. There is no innocent bystander when you actively assist a crime.
English equivalent
The receiver is as bad as the thief.
Vocabulary
- złodziej — thief
- kraść — to steal
- drabina — ladder
- trzymać — to hold
Grammar note
'Co kradnie' and 'co trzyma' are relative clauses using 'co' (colloquial relative pronoun). 'Złodziejowi' is the dative of 'złodziej' (for the thief).
Cultural context
A legal and moral principle expressed in folk form. Equivalent to the concept of being an accessory to a crime.
Intermediate
Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!
More Polish proverbs
- "A stepmother, even if made of sugar, is always bitter." No matter how kind a stepmother tries to …
- "For a wise head, two words are enough." A clever person needs only a brief hint to understand; …
- "A Pole is wise after the damage is done." Poles (or people in general) tend to learn from mistakes …
- "The wise will accept advice; the fool will scorn it." Intelligent people are open to counsel, while …