Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«La ocasión hace al ladrón.»
Word for word
The occasion makes the thief.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Opportunity makes the thief.
Used to explain that people may steal or act dishonestly when presented with an easy opportunity, even if they normally wouldn't. Common in conversations about trust, security, and human nature.
Hear it in a sentence
No dejes el dinero a la vista, porque la ocasión hace al ladrón.
Don't leave the money in sight, because opportunity makes the thief.
More Spanish sayings
- De médico, poeta y loco, todos tenemos un poco. — Everyone has a bit of the doctor, poet, and madman in them.
- Cree el ladrón que todos son de su condición. — A thief thinks everyone steals.
- Quien tiene boca se equivoca. — To err is human.
- No todo el monte es orégano. — Life isn't a bed of roses.
- El amor es ciego. — Love is blind.
Why learn dichos?
Proverbs like this one are everywhere in spoken Spanish — dropped mid-conversation, usually just the first half, with the rest left for you to complete. Recognizing them is one of the fastest ways to sound less like a textbook and follow real speech. Every Lingocito edition signs off with the dicho del día, so you meet one a day next to news written at your level.