[tlogan]

British had a saying: you can rent an Afghan but you can't buy one

I heard the above saying during Soviet invasion but I cannot find the origin.

[Clewza313]

There's a broader version of that: "You can buy someone, but you can't make sure they stay bought." Applies widely to bribery, diplomacy, etc.

[vrc]

The Soviet-era one was an Afghan saying, “you have watched but we have time”