Kindnesses, like grain, increase by sowing.
Kindnesses, like grain, increase by sowing.
Meaning in plain English
Acts of kindness can encourage further kindness, like planted grain producing more grain. A considerate action may spread through example or reciprocity beyond its immediate benefit.
Example
After a classmate shares notes with a student who missed a lesson, that student later offers another classmate help with a missed exercise.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Sowing places seed where it can grow, giving the proverb an image for how a helpful action might lead to more helpful actions. A recipient may later assist someone else, or an observer may copy the considerate example. The original kindness also matters even if nothing follows it. The saying describes a hopeful possibility rather than an assured return on an investment. Treating help as a way to secure repayment can undermine its generosity. Its useful invitation is to contribute to a kinder pattern while allowing other people to respond freely and differently.
When to use it
Use it to encourage kindness that may set a constructive example for others.
Keep in mind
Do not demand repayment or assume that every act will produce further goodwill.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 890 · Kindnesses
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗