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.
We opened the online market and now there are Chinese competitors. When the door is open, the good and the bad take the same steps.
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.
The front door left open lets in the neighbours but also the thieves. When the door is open, the good and the bad take the same steps.
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.
An open university trains the best students but also the worst. When the door is open, the good and the bad take the same steps — then it is the quality of teaching that makes the difference.
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.
We receive a thousand CVs for each position. When the door is open, the good and the bad take the same steps — our job is to distinguish them.