That was one of my DH's favorite sayings, and I've repeated it myself many times over the years. It means actions undertaken with the best of intentions sometimes come back to haunt you. Sometimes the problem is that if you do a favor for someone, they might quickly take advantage and expect similar favors forever. Stuff like that.

It is sarcasm. It means when you go out of your way to help someone, you will be stung with a "punishment" for going to the effort to help someone. For example, you decide that someone is having difficulty trying to crochet a baby blanket for which you have the pattern. So you lend this person the pattern so that she can crochet the pattern correctly. Then she loses your pattern too. Your good deed was punished by her losing your pattern book.

You see your busy neighbor has not had time to shovel her walkway, so as you do yours, you also do hers. While doing hers, you throw your back out.

Yes. It means that, although you try to help someone out (i.e. do a good deed), often it backfires. As an extreme example, say someone is in a burning car and you pull them out, saving their life. But the person's leg is broken while you're pulling them out, and that person ends up suing you for the broken leg. You saved their life (good deed), and they sue you (punishment).

Yep, that happen to us. Did a good deed for someone and they turn around an tried to sue us!

Found this: Idiom Definitions for 'No good deed goes unpunished'

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This means that life is unfair and people can do or try to do good things and still end up in a lot of trouble.

OK, I get the meaning, but don't like it. I would hope this silly saying wouldn't stop some from doing a good deed.

It's far from sarcasm, it's a precaution. I fully understand it and now I'm sure you do also, but I've been the victim of it so many times I couldn't even count. I could give horrible examples but suffice to say there are selfish and greedy people in this world and the purpose of the saying is "beware". Caveat emptor? Let the buyer beware? Not so if you give someone a car these days it seems. They come back and complain if something goes wrong. People embezzle businesses out from under the noses of others. You give someone a ride and they harness you into chauffeuring them around the countryside, borrow money, never to be repaid, etc. How many times people make something special for someone and they claim to get food poisoning? Store owners discount something and people expect it to be free? "Throw in something else for no extra charge"? When I ran the gas stations, we underpriced everyone but people still complained it was too much and one dumb broad claimed she didn't "get good enough gas mileage" with the gas and wanted a refund! Put out a tray of appetizers for everyone and someone takes them all? Few dare put out the bowl of Halloween candy and say "help yourself"!

Even though I'm cautious about doing things for people, and for whom I do things, I still believe there's a lot of good in people. I have this sick need to believe there's some good in some people I guess. Though I fully realize there are the selfish ones out there in great abundance, I still feel a personal satisfaction from helping someone. Whether they need a ride, or want the last piece of something when you really want it. Even something as simple as holding a door for someone, thanking them (sincerely) when they do something for you or just looking at them with a smile and saying "Good morning!". If I can bring a smile to someones' face I feel like I've done something special and worthwhile.

I have trouble dealing with selfish people. When their only concern is themselves it bothers me tremendously. That's why the 4x Felon makes me so sick. The hag is a multi-millionaire and still has to take advantage of other people to get a few extra dollars in her own pocket (taken from others' pockets of course) then look for sympathy. Talk about selfish.

All through my working life I've given the extra effort, well in most cases. It "punishes" me in certain ways, yes I do extra work for which I'm not paid, but it can simplify things down the road too. I hope that at least sometimes it comes back in my favor, for instance if I cover someone's shift for them, maybe they'll cover for me if I want a day off for something.

And Dotmom, don't forget "Minnesota Nice"! How many times are you at a stop sign waiting for the other one to go and they're waiting for you and each waving for the other to go, then finally you go OK, and start out, only to see they think the same? Then both hit the brakes and start all over? LOL AFAIK that doesn't happen in New York! (Language alert on this link for the hypersensitive) And don't get in front of a fuel truck either unless you enjoy a good run!

In a similar vein, I always like this quote:

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions"

Aside from taking it literally (like Judge Joe Brown does)... I think it means...
Do good expecting nothing in return (which I think deep down is really hard, if not close to impossible, for many people).

I have never fully understood that saying either Dotmom...Now I do thanks to your post.
Happy New Year !!

june

So you lend this person the pattern so that she can crochet the pattern correctly. Then she loses your pattern too. Your good deed was punished by her losing your pattern book.
Exactly. I loaned my Better Back Book to a friend who was having awful back pains, thinking he could get some relief from the wonderful exercises. After several months, he moved and some how lost my book. It made me regret having loaned it to him, since he did not take care to see that it was returned before being lost in the shuffle.

I've done nice things for people only to have it backfire, I just don't do things for those people again, it hasn't stopped me from trying to practice what friend Cynic called Minnesota nice, and learn a lesson. I have been in numerous community theater plays and have most of them on tape. When a gal asked to watch the tapes while she was layed up healing from something, I lent her several of them. I didn't get a couple back and one of them, she had recorded over part of it. I will not lend out tapes and DVD's out to anyone, anymore. I learned a lesson, but will still do favours, if I can, when asked.

Oh Dotmom, don't get me started on tapes! And I know you will feel my pain on this one. Back when I first got a VCR I started taping the Justin Wilson cooking shows. I had virtually every one of them taped for his Cookin' Cajun series and the Outdoor series. Loaned them out. Never to be seen again. And it's not on the air anymore. I've only found a couple episodes on the internet. Don't know whether to cry, spit nails or throw a puppy through a fan but I know I'll never loan an original again. Tough, tough way to learn a lesson. Had they not lived so far away I would only have loaned some of them at a time but I shudda gone with my gut!

OTOH, I borrowed a tape from a friend one time and the remote on the VCR was acting up. I went to press rewind and it triggered record so it taped over about 10 seconds of the opening credits. I felt awful. But I owned up to it and told him about it. Rightly so he was beside himself upset and I asked what I can do to make it right. Well I just had to live with being reminded of it for a week or so. No bad. I got off easy. I guess I don't understand why people won't just admit when they goof up? Take your licks, make it right if you can. I just don't understand it.

And then when people have borrowed CDs and they come back scratched all to... If they come back. That's why whenever I set up rules at companies, one of the first is no originals leave the secured area. Copies only or it's installed there. Every time that rule was violated, there were lost CDs.

Cyunic,Oh, boy do I remember good old Justin Wilson. I loved his show. One of my fantasies was to win the lottery so I could fly him to Mn and have him cook for a big dinner party. I'm sorry about the loss of those tapes. The truly are irreplaceable.

My husband loaned a book he realy loved to our SIL. Six months later, he asked if she had finished it, and she denied ever having it. DH stood up, went to her bookcase and looked for it. His brother (husband of SIL) got angry that we inferred his wife was a book thief. So DH went out and bought a second copy. Just this past Tuesday, guess what happened? Brother and SIL came over to celebrate Christmas and gave DH another copy of the book! Gotta love family, saves us from having to kill them !

Here's a link that goes a little deeper into the saying. It is religious based, so don't read if that may offend you... but I think it offers some insight and ethical reasoning behind the quote even if you aren't religious.

Here is a link that might be useful: No good deed goes unpunished

Carla35 -- Thanks for that link. I enjoyed reading it all. However...I don't think it explains the adage. LOL

So far, what's been guessed seems to me to be the same as "The law of Unintended Consequences". You seek to do good -- a kind act, a medical remedy, whatever -- and down the line, in direct or indirect relation, your 'good' causes harm.

I claim dibs on the worst instance of loaning a VCR tape. I loaned THE tape of our wedding reception to a bridesmaid. She lost it. No remorse, just, "I can't find it." It wasn't something from the formal photographer, but it was cute, made by my former boss. He had one of the early 'sun gun' video recorders. On the tape, you could see the guests start to squint as he approached. Fooey! Now I'm mad all over again!

It has been my own experience that there are some folks, that no matter how much you try to be kind and good to them, or try to build a semblance of a relationship built on commonalities, they just cannot bear to share the limelight and seem to have a need to be self important. But that never has nor never will keep me from being kind to folks....

I'm not perfect, but I believe that what some think I am,is actually just what they only wish I was.

Carolyn

Hi Carolyn,

I've heard that, "It takes a saint to live with a (self-proclaimed) martyr".

Also ... that perfect people ... are darned hard to live with.

ole joyful

You can say that again OJ..... People that think they are perfect always look down on the rest of us "flawed" and lowly people... but for my two cents worth...I am quite happy here where I am... still striving to be all that I can be without joining the Army.. LOL

Lots of martyrs out there too... and they are forever trying to get attaboys for enduring what a kazillion others are also enduring, but somehow they are under the impression their's is worse .... I compare my lil maladies with what Christ suffered on my behalf and then my lil issues mean so very little..

Yeah, I have ailments to deal with, but I' m old for heaven's sake.. I am supposed to hurt here and there and suffer from bodily breakdowns... it happens, so I just try to suck it up and move on with my life adn do my best to take care of what's left of my old body...

Carolyn

It does not make sense as stated because some good deeds are appreciated.