What Goes Around Comes Around – Meaning, Origin & Usage
You often hear the phrase “what goes around comes around”. Usually when something bad has happened to someone. If you want to know what that means and where the saying comes from, you’ve come to just the place.
This article is going to explain what is meant by the proverb, and delve into its potential origins. We will also cover different cultural interpretations of the phrase, before giving you examples of the phrase in use in everyday conversations. Then we’ll cover the use of the saying in literature and media before touching on philosophical and ethical perspectives. We’ll wrap up with some similar, alternative sayings that can be used in its place.
And, without further ado, let’s get straight to it.
Understanding what is meant by “what goes around comes around”
The old proverb “what goes around comes around” refers to there being repercussions to someone’s actions. This could refer to the direct consequences of a person’s actions, or it could refer to someone having something similar happen to them. It suggests that good deeds are rewarded with good results, and bad deeds are punished with bad results.
The phrase is typically said when someone has upset someone else through their actions, and thus is usually used in a negative sense. It is often used as a warning. In simpler terms, it’s much like saying that if you treat others badly, you may be treated badly yourself.
The historical origins of the phrase
The phrase “what goes around comes around” originated in America in the mid 1900’s. The phrase is derived from African-American English, originating in black churches through Christian rhetoric.
The book Black Talk: Words and Phrases from the Hood to the Amen Corner, written by Geneva Smitherman and published in 1994, confirms the term’s African American origins. She writes the following of the proverb “what go round come round”:
“A proverb that expresses perhaps the essence of traditional “root culture” Blacks’ belief about life, that whatever has happened before will occur again, even if in a different form. In a study of over a thousand proverbs used by African Americans, this was found to be the most frequently used proverb in the African American community.”
The phrase was likely inspired by the King James Bible, completed in 1611, since there are two verses which describe this metaphorically. For example, in Galatians 6:7, it is written:
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
Then, in 2 Corinthians 9:6, it is written:
“But this [I say], He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”
The phrase “what goes around comes around” became increasingly used in the late 1900’s, and was popularised further still by its use in literature and the media.
Different cultural interpretations of the phrase
Although the phrase “what goes around comes around” is considered distinctly African-American, the idea of repercussions to actions is somewhat universal, and is not limited to Christian rhetoric.
For example, the expression can be used to describe the Hindu concept of karma. Karma is the idea that a person’s actions in this life will determine their fate in the next life. Hinduism describes karma as the relationship between a person’s mental or physical actions and the consequences following those actions. Hindu people believe that they can improve their personal karma by doing good deeds.
The concept of karma is also used in buddhism and sikhism.
Examples of the phrase in everyday conversation
Here are some examples of the phrase in use:
- I don’t mind helping out now and again. Like they say what goes around comes around.
- Don’t worry about it, he’ll get what’s coming to him. As they say, what goes around comes around.
- She’ll pay for the misery she caused. What goes around comes around.
- Don’t just ignore him – what goes around comes around.
- You shouldn’t steal from others – what goes around comes around.
- You might just be setting yourself up for a little of the same later on – what goes around comes around.
Use of the saying in pop culture
In recent times, the phrase “what goes around comes around” has become the name of the second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, of the American singer Justin Timberlake. This did a great deal to popularise the term.
Philosophical and ethical perspectives
Regardless of whether the saying is true, you have to agree that it’s a good belief to live by. Especially because in many ways it is true. Anyone who comes across negatively is likely to not be treated well by others and vice versa. This belief proffers timeless advice that transcends different populations and cultures. It is as true today as it was when it was entered into the King James Bible.
Similar, alternative sayings and expressions
If you want to use an alternative phrase to this one, for example if you can only use a limited number of characters (letters) in a social media post, then here are several you might choose to use in its place:
- You’ll get yours
- You reap what you sow
- Karma is a b**ch
- As you sow, so shall you reap
- One good turn deserves another
- Curses come home to roost
- He/she/they will get their just desserts
- He/she/they/will get what they deserve
- You will get what you deserve
- You will get your just desserts
Final word
So, simply put, the phrase “what goes around comes around” means that if you treat others badly, you may (eventually) be treated badly by someone yourself. The phrase dates back to African-American culture in the mid 1900’s, but it is a concept that is not limited to Christian rhetoric, and it has its counterparts in hinduism, buddhism, and sikhism. Regardless of whether the saying is true, many people agree that it’s a good belief to live by.
