- English translation
Good people don't keep score with each other.
- Literal wording
Between the good ones there is no reckoning.
- Meaning and lesson
Among people who are honest and generous, close bookkeeping is unnecessary. Here the reckoning is financial, not religious judgment. Each side trusts the other to be fair, so there is no need to count every coin, demand receipts, or argue over who owes what when it is time to settle up.
The expression also works as a quiet compliment. Using it tells the other person that you regard them as decent and reliable. It turns a moment that could become a tense transaction into a show of mutual respect and goodwill.
- When it is used
Say it when partners, relatives, or friends of good standing are settling a debt, sharing costs, or dividing proceeds, and one side waves away a careful count. It signals trust in the other's fairness and ends haggling over small sums, but is no rule against clear agreements.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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