When the door is open, the good and the bad take the same steps — opportunity does not distinguish between the deserving and the undeserving. An open door is equally available to all.
This proverb reflects the Milanese ambivalence about open markets and open cities. On one hand, Milan's prosperity was built on openness: the city welcomed merchants, artists, bankers, and workers from across Europe. The open door made Milan great. On the other hand, the same openness that allowed the honest merchant to enter allowed the fraudster in too. The proverb is both a warning and an observation: when you create opportunity, you cannot control who uses it. In the textile markets of Milan, it described the reality that a new trade route benefited your competitors as well as yourself. In contemporary usage it is applied to deregulation, open borders, and online markets — the internet is an open door through which good and bad take the same steps.
Milanese proverb reflecting the city's experience as an open trading city where opportunity was available to all, with both positive and negative consequences.
A Milanese entrepreneur discussing market competition
Abbiamo aperto il mercato online e adesso ci sono i concorrenti cinesi. Quand la porta l'è srada, el bon e el catìv fan i medèm pàs.
Abrimos el mercado en línea y ahora hay competidores chinos. Cuando la puerta está abierta, los buenos y los malos dan los mismos pasos.
A police officer discussing neighbourhood safety
Il portone lasciato aperto fa entrare i vicini ma anche i ladri. Quand la porta l'è srada, el bon e el catìv fan i medèm pàs.
El portal dejado abierto deja entrar a los vecinos pero también a los ladrones. Cuando la puerta está abierta, los buenos y los malos dan los mismos pasos.
A Milan university rector on open admissions
Un'università aperta forma i migliori studenti ma anche i peggiori. Quand la porta l'è srada, el bon e el catìv fan i medèm pàs — poi è la qualità dell'insegnamento che fa la differenza.
Una universidad abierta forma a los mejores estudiantes pero también a los peores. Cuando la puerta está abierta, los buenos y los malos dan los mismos pasos — luego es la calidad de la enseñanza lo que marca la diferencia.
A Milanese HR manager on open job applications
Riceviamo mille curriculum per ogni posto. Quand la porta l'è srada, el bon e el catìv fan i medèm pàs — il nostro lavoro è distinguerli.
Recibimos mil currículums por cada puesto. Cuando la puerta está abierta, los buenos y los malos dan los mismos pasos — nuestro trabajo es distinguirlos.