while two dogs are fighting for bone, a third one runs away with it

while two dogs are fighting for bone, a third one runs away with it

proverb When two people are engaged in trying to obtain the same thing, they are apt to miss the presence of a third party who can then take the thing from them. A: "Hal and I were fighting over the ball when Mara just came and stole it from us!" B: "Classic. While two dogs are fighting for bone, a third one runs away with it."
See also: away, dog, fight, one, run, third, two, while
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • tell me about it
  • if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it is a duck
  • quack
  • have a thing
  • far be it for/from me to...
  • far be it from (one) to (do something)
  • far be it from me
  • far be it from me to
  • far be it from me to do something, but...
  • far be it from one to