ProverbPerseveranceLatin origin

Ill-gotten gains never prosper

Meaning: Money obtained through dishonesty ultimately fails to generate lasting wealth or security.

Origin: The thought is ancient: the Roman playwright Plautus wrote male partum male disperit — what is badly gained is badly lost. A Latin-English book of proverbs published in 1621 translates it as "evil gotten goods never proveth well."

Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, and 4 more languages

  • French: Bien mal acquis ne profite jamais (literally: Ill-gotten goods never profit)
  • Spanish: Bienes mal adquiridos a nadie han enriquecido (literally: Ill-acquired goods have enriched no one)
  • Japanese: 悪銭身につかず (Akusen mi ni tsukazu) (literally: Ill-gotten money does not stay with you)
  • German: Unrecht Gut gedeiht nicht (literally: Wrongfully gotten goods do not thrive)
  • Italian: La farina del diavolo va tutta in crusca (literally: The devil's flour all turns to bran)
  • Dutch: Gestolen goed gedijt niet (literally: Stolen goods don't thrive)
  • Polish: Kradzione nie tuczy (literally: Stolen food doesn't fatten)
  • Chinese: 悖入悖出 (Bèi rù bèi chū) (literally: Wrongly in, wrongly out)
  • Turkish: Haramın temeli olmaz (literally: Ill-gotten gain has no foundation)

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