Better to lose the wool than the sheep.
More Italian Proverbs:
He who is of the craft can discourse about it.Italian
Cunning men's cloaks sometimes fall.
Italian
He who tells his own affairs will hardly keep secret those of others.
Italian
There is a deep sea between saying and doing.
Italian
The shirt is nearer than the doublet.
Italian
He that seeks, finds, and sometimes what he would rather not.
Italian