--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What Can Be Learned From a Thief The…" description: "\"“What Can Be Learned From a Thief The saintly Rabi Zusya was originally a disciple of the tsaddik Rabbi Dov Baer of Mezritsh. Once he asked his master ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/pinhas-sadeh-269934_folktale_what-can-be-learned-from-a-thief-the-sai_2480302.jpg" --- # What Can Be Learned From a Thief The saintly Rabi Zusya… ![“What Can Be Learned From a Thief The saintly Rabi Zusya was originally a disciple of the tsaddik Rabbi Dov Baer of Mezritsh. Once he asked his master to teach him the secret of worshipping the Creator. “There’s no need for me to teach you,” replied Rabbi Dov Baer, “because you can learn it from…” quote by Pinhas Sadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/pinhas-sadeh-269934_folktale_what-can-be-learned-from-a-thief-the-sai_2480302.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/pinhas-sadeh-269934_folktale_what-can-be-learned-from-a-thief-the-sai_2480302.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa0/pinhas-sadeh-269934_folktale_what-can-be-learned-from-a-thief-the-sai_2480302.jpg) > ““What Can Be Learned From a Thief The saintly Rabi Zusya was originally a disciple of the tsaddik Rabbi Dov Baer of Mezritsh. Once he asked his master to teach him the secret of worshipping the Creator. “There’s no need for me to teach you,” replied Rabbi Dov Baer, “because you can learn it from any child or thief.” “Why, how can I learn it from a child?” asked the astounded disciple. “In three ways,” replied his master. “First, a child needs no reason to be happy. Second, a child always keeps busy. And third, when a child wants something, it screams until it gets it.” “And what,” asked Rabbi Zusya, “can I learn from a thief?” “From a thief,” answered Rabbi Dov Baer, “you can learn seven things. First, to apply yourself by night and not just by day. Second, to try again if at first you don’t succeed. Third, to love your comrades. Fourth, to be ready to risk your life, even for a small thing. Fifth, to attach so little value to what you have that you will sell it for a pittance. Sixth, not to be put off by hardship and blows. And seventh, to be glad you are what you are instead of wanting to be something else.”” [Pinhas Sadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pinhas-sadeh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Learning from a child’s joy and a thief’s resourcefulness teaches perseverance, humility, and authenticity. **In simple terms:** Kids and thieves teach life lessons. Key Takeaway Observe and apply lessons from all sources. Themes wisdom humility perseverance learning spirituality Mood inspirational thoughtful reflective Type Folktale:1 Jewish:1 Learn Child:1 Thief Learn:1 Learn Thief:1 Learned Thief:1 Rabbi Zusya:0 When to use this quote - parenting - education - personal development - spiritual mentorship - conflict resolution Key Concepts ethics human nature resilience Questions to Reflect On - How can we ethically learn from a thief? - What childlike qualities foster resilience? A Different Perspective Risk romanticizing criminal behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Folktale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folktale/) [Jewish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jewish/) [Learn Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-child-418192/) [Learn Thief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-thief-857617/) [Learned Thief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learned-thief-857618/) [Rabbi Zusya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rabbi-zusya-857619/) [Thief Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thief-learn-857616/) ## Related quotes > [Before his death, Rabbi Zusya said "In the coming world, they will not ask me: 'Why were you not Moses?' They will ask me:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/before-his-death-rabbi-zusya-said-in-the-coming-world-they-will-not/) [Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/) > [Rabbi Zusya said that on the Day of Judgment, God would ask him, not why he had not been Moses, but why he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kaufmann/rabbi-zusya-said-that-on-the-day-of-judgment-god-would-ask-him-not/) [Walter Kaufmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kaufmann/) > [As a child, I was fortunate enough to be close to family members who were - and still are - great storytellers. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-l-martin/as-a-child-i-was-fortunate-enough-to-be-close-to-family-members-who/) [Jesse L. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-l-martin/) > [I've always been fascinated by the grassroots folktale level of a culture, and as a storyteller, I have to follow what seems to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-grassroots-folktale-level-of-a/) [Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/) > [You can give me any of Shakespeare's plays and I'll tell you a parallel African folktale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kani/you-can-give-me-any-of-shakespeare-s-plays-and-i-ll-tell-you-a/) [John Kani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kani/) > [The folktale is the primer of the picture-language of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-folktale-is-the-primer-of-the-picture-language-of-the-soul/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [“I love the way folktale and fantasy tap into the roots of story telling. The paradox, for me, is that by moving a story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-gavriel-kay/i-love-the-way-folktale-and-fantasy-tap-into-the-roots-of-story/) [Guy Gavriel Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-gavriel-kay/) > [The protagonist of folktale is always, and intensely, a young person moving through ordeals into adult life. . . . and this is why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-paton-walsh/the-protagonist-of-folktale-is-always-and-intensely-a-young-person/) [Jill Paton Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-paton-walsh/) > [“Stories are the things people use to give the universe a shape...there is little difference between a folktale, a religous revelation, and a scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tad-williams/stories-are-the-things-people-use-to-give-the-universe-a-shape-there/) [Tad Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tad-williams/) > [“An important dimension of Tess of the d’Urbervilles is its debt to the oral tradition; to stories about wronged milkmaids, tales of superstition, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-harvey/an-important-dimension-of-tess-of-the-d-urbervilles-is-its-debt-to/) [Geoffrey Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-harvey/) > [“The folktale world is oriented positively toward its protagonist; a folktale is defined by the hero's triumph: magic weapons and helpers are, with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darko-suvin/the-folktale-world-is-oriented-positively-toward-its-protagonist-a/) [Darko Suvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darko-suvin/) > [3 Things to learn from a CHILD:-To be happy for no reason..To be always busy doing something..To know how to demand small things without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinku-razoria/3-things-to-learn-from-a-child-to-be-happy-for-no-reason-to-be-always/) [Tinku Razoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinku-razoria/) > [“It is a terrible thing to learn as a child that one is a being separate from all the world, that no one and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/it-is-a-terrible-thing-to-learn-as-a-child-that-one-is-a-being/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“Kids are naturally curious about the world around them. Everything is fascinating and holds their attention as they explore their new surroundings. Adults however,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-murphy/kids-are-naturally-curious-about-the-world-around-them-everything-is/) [James A. Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-murphy/) > [The parents exist to teach the child, but also they must learn what the child has to teach them; and the child has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-parents-exist-to-teach-the-child-but-also-they-must-learn-what/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) ## More Folktale quotes > [“The folktale world is oriented positively toward its protagonist; a folktale is defined by the hero's triumph: magic weapons and helpers are, with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darko-suvin/the-folktale-world-is-oriented-positively-toward-its-protagonist-a/) [Darko Suvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darko-suvin/) > [“An important dimension of Tess of the d’Urbervilles is its debt to the oral tradition; to stories about wronged milkmaids, tales of superstition, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-harvey/an-important-dimension-of-tess-of-the-d-urbervilles-is-its-debt-to/) [Geoffrey Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-harvey/) > [“Stories are the things people use to give the universe a shape...there is little difference between a folktale, a religous revelation, and a scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tad-williams/stories-are-the-things-people-use-to-give-the-universe-a-shape-there/) [Tad Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tad-williams/) > [The protagonist of folktale is always, and intensely, a young person moving through ordeals into adult life. . . . and this is why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-paton-walsh/the-protagonist-of-folktale-is-always-and-intensely-a-young-person/) [Jill Paton Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-paton-walsh/) > [“I love the way folktale and fantasy tap into the roots of story telling. The paradox, for me, is that by moving a story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-gavriel-kay/i-love-the-way-folktale-and-fantasy-tap-into-the-roots-of-story/) [Guy Gavriel Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-gavriel-kay/) > [The folktale is the primer of the picture-language of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-folktale-is-the-primer-of-the-picture-language-of-the-soul/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [You can give me any of Shakespeare's plays and I'll tell you a parallel African folktale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kani/you-can-give-me-any-of-shakespeare-s-plays-and-i-ll-tell-you-a/) [John Kani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kani/) > [I've always been fascinated by the grassroots folktale level of a culture, and as a storyteller, I have to follow what seems to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-grassroots-folktale-level-of-a/) [Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/) > [As a child, I was fortunate enough to be close to family members who were - and still are - great storytellers. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-l-martin/as-a-child-i-was-fortunate-enough-to-be-close-to-family-members-who/) [Jesse L. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-l-martin/) [Browse all 10 Folktale quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folktale/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What Can Be Learned From a Thief The saintly Rabi Zusya was originally a disciple of the tsaddik Rabbi Dov Baer of Mezritsh. Once he asked his master to teach him the secret of worshipping the Creator. “There’s no need for me to teach you,” replied Rabbi Dov Baer, “because you can learn it from any child or thief.” “Why, how can I learn it from a child?” asked the astounded disciple. “In three ways,” replied his master. “First, a child needs no reason to be happy. Second, a child always keeps busy. 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