Said the maggid to Rabbi Zusya, his disciple: “I cannot teach you the ten principles of service. But a little child and a thief can show you what they are.
“From the child you can learn three things:
He is merry for no particular reason;
Never for a moment is he idle;
When he needs something, he demands it vigorously.
The thief can instruct you in seven things:
He does his service by night;
If he does not finish what he has set out to do, in one night, he devotes the next night to it;
He and those who work with him, love one another;
He risks his life for slight gains;
What he takes has so little value for him, that he gives it up for a very small coin;
He endures blows and hardship, and it matters nothing to him;
He likes his trade and would not exchange it for any other.”