Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Quien hace un cesto, hace ciento.»
Word for word
Whoever makes one basket, makes a hundred.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Do it once and you'll do it again.
Used to say that someone who does something once will likely keep doing it, especially bad behavior. Often said as a warning about trusting repeat offenders.
Hear it in a sentence
Ya te estafó una vez; quien hace un cesto, hace ciento.
He already scammed you once; whoever makes one basket makes a hundred.
More Spanish sayings
- El que con lobos anda, a aullar se enseña. — He who keeps company with wolves will learn to howl.
- No hay dos sin tres. — Things come in threes.
- Tanto va el cántaro a la fuente, que al final se rompe. — The pitcher goes to the well so often that it breaks at last.
- Quien mal anda, mal acaba. — Those who go astray come to a bad end.
- Arrieros somos y en el camino nos encontraremos. — We'll meet again down the road.
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.