när fan blir gammal blir han religiös

Swedish

Etymology

när (“when”) +‎ fan (“the Devil”) +‎ blir (“becomes”) +‎ gammal (“old”) +‎ blir (“becomes”) +‎ han (“he”) +‎ religiös (“religious”), "When the Devil grows old, he becomes religious."

Proverb

när fan blir gammal blir han religiös

1. (idiomatic) Said when someone changes for the better, especially in a dramatic and unexpected way.
2. (idiomatic) More literally: People often become more religious as they get closer to death