- English translation
You do someone a kindness, and harm is what comes back to you.
- Literal wording
Good you do, evil you find.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying names the painful experience of treating someone well and being repaid with harm or ingratitude. Placing the kind act beside its hurtful result, it highlights how unjust and unexpected that reversal feels to the giver.
It can also express a broader, rueful sense that generosity is no guarantee of a fair return. Its tone is one of complaint or indignation, voicing disappointment rather than advising anyone to stop doing good.
- When it is used
Suited to situations where someone who helped another has been met with harm, betrayal, or ingratitude. The wronged helper may say it, or sympathetic listeners may use it to remark on the unfairness.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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