proverb · Words worth keeping
Evil gotten, evil spent.
Evil gotten, evil spent.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Something obtained through wrongdoing may be used or lost just as carelessly. The saying links a bad beginning with an unhappy result, without proving that every dishonest gain receives a matching punishment.
Example
A player who wins through cheating finds that the resulting prize does not restore the trust lost with teammates.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The repeated evil makes acquisition and disposal mirror each other. A person who disregards others in obtaining something may also lack the restraint or care needed to use it well. The proverb can therefore question a supposed advantage whose manner of acquisition has already damaged trust. Its neat pattern is a moral warning, not a reliable prediction about how events will unfold. Wrongdoing does not always produce an immediately visible consequence, and a later loss does not establish an earlier fault. A useful reading asks whether the apparent gain is compatible with honest conduct and the relationships needed to sustain it.
When to use it
Use it to question an advantage obtained through dishonest conduct.
Keep in mind
A misfortune does not prove wrongdoing, and consequences are not guaranteed.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English