- English translation
Put something in, and something will come back to you.
- Literal wording
Put down something, you will find something.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying expresses a simple principle of return: whatever a person puts forward, whether kindness, labor, or harm, eventually comes back to them in a corresponding form. Actions are treated as deposits that later yield something of the same kind.
In practice the emphasis often leans toward the hopeful side, urging people to do good or contribute generously because benefit will follow. Still, the logic cuts both ways, so it is not only positive: it can also caution that wrongdoing will be met with its own consequences.
- When it is used
Fits moments when someone is weighing whether effort, generosity, or investment is worthwhile, as a reminder that results follow what one contributes. It can also gently warn that harmful conduct invites a matching return.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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