Two wrongs don't make a right.
Two wrongs don't make a right.
Meaning in plain English
The saying denies that two wrongs produce a right. It rejects using an earlier wrongdoing as sufficient justification for another.
Example
Someone addresses a wrong through a proportionate response rather than using it to excuse a separate harmful act.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The arithmetic contrast gives moral reasoning a compressed form. A useful interpretation distinguishes a justified response from repeating harm for revenge. The supplied worse-outcome claim is not a prediction of every consequence; the point concerns justification rather than guaranteed escalation.
When to use it
Use it to examine the justification offered for a response.
Keep in mind
Rejecting revenge does not require accepting harm or prove every response worsens matters.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 540; PDF page 79
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