It takes a thief to catch a thief

Cultural  

1. Only a thief knows how a thief thinks and acts.

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Example Sentences

The saying “It takes a thief to catch a thief” wasn’t just a saying for Vidocq—it was his whole strategy.

From Literature

“It takes a thief to catch a thief,” the accountant said.

From Washington Post

“Sometimes it takes a devil to catch the Devil. It takes a thief to catch a thief. Sometimes it takes that. And I’m not sure we have that on the platform right now,” she said.

From Washington Post

To his aghast brains trust, the cynical and cagey Roosevelt said “it takes a thief to catch a thief.”

From Seattle Times

You can argue what Franklin Roosevelt is said to have remarked when he appointed Joe Kennedy as first chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission: that it takes a thief to catch a thief.

From The Wall Street Journal