what goes around comes around

English

It Shoots Further Than He Dreams by John F. Knott, March 1918.

Alternative forms

what go round come round
what goes round comes round
what comes around goes around

Proverb

what goes around comes around

A person's actions, whether good or bad, will often have consequences for that person.
- 2020, Ava Max, Madison Love, Måns Wredenberg, Noonie Bao, Cirkut, and Linus Wiklund (lyrics and music), “Who's Laughing Now”, in Heaven & Hell‎, performed by Ava Max:
  So lonely in your bed / Does breakin' me make you feel good? / Guess you don't understand / What goes around, comes around

Translations

actions have consequences

Arabic: لَا تَحْصِدُ إِلَّا مَا زَرَعْتَهُ‎ (lā taḥṣidu ʾillā mā zaraʿtahu, literally “you reap only what you sow”)
Bulgarian: каквото повикало, такова се обадило (kakvoto povikalo, takova se obadilo); всичко се връща (vsičko se vrǎšta); на каквото си постелеш, на такова ще легнеш (na kakvoto si posteleš, na takova šte legneš)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 善有善報，惡有惡報／善有善报，恶有恶报 (zh) (shànyǒushànbào, èyǒu'èbào); 種瓜得瓜／种瓜得瓜 (zh) (zhòngguādéguā); 種豆得豆／种豆得豆 (zh) (zhòngdòudédòu), 媳婦熬成婆／媳妇熬成婆 (zh) (xífù áo chéng pó), 因果循环，报应不爽。
Czech: jak se do lesa volá, tak se z lesa ozývá (cs)
Danish: hvad et menneske sår skal han høste, som man råber i skoven får man svar, man ligger som man reder
Dutch: wie wind zaait, zal storm oogsten; dat komt ervan
Esperanto: kia ago tia pago, kiu semas venton tiu rikoltos ventegon
Finnish: minkä taakseen jättää, sen edestään löytää
French: on récolte ce que l'on sème (fr), qui sème le vent récolte la tempête (fr)
German: wie man in den Wald hineinruft, so schallt es heraus (de) (literally “what you shout into the forest, will echo out again”); man erntet, was man sät (literally “you reap what you sow”); wie man sich bettet, so liegt man (literally “as you make your bed, so you must lie in it”); die Vergangenheit holt einen immer ein (literally “your past always catches up with you”); das kommt davon (de) (literally “that comes from that”); sowas kommt von sowas (literally “such a thing comes from such a thing”); wie du mir, so ich dir (literally “as you do to me, I do to you”), alles rächt sich irgendwann
Hebrew: שלח לחמך על פני המים כי ברבות הימים תמצאנו‎, מה שנותנים ־ מקבלים‎, כל אחד מקבל בסוף מה שמגיע לו‎, הגלגל מסתובב‎, גלגל חוזר בעולם‎
Hungarian: ki mint vet, úgy arat (hu), amilyen az adjonisten, olyan a fogadjisten (hu)
Italian: chi semina vento raccoglie tempesta, chi la fa l'aspetti, si raccoglie ciò che si semina
Jamaican Creole: same knife stick sheep, stick goat
Japanese: 因果応報 (ja) (いんがおうほう, inga-ōhō), 業によりて果を引く (ごうによりてかをひく, gō ni yorite ka o hiku)
Korean: 뿌린대로 거둔다 (ppurindaero geodunda)
Malay: buat baik dibalas baik, buat jahat dibalas jahat
Norwegian: man høster som man sår
Persian: از هر دست بدهی از همان دست می‌گیری‎ (az har dast bedahi, az hamân dast migiri)
Polish: co z siebie dajesz, to do ciebie wraca, jak sobie pościelesz, tak się wyśpisz (pl), fortuna kołem się toczy (pl)
Portuguese: quem semeia ventos colhe tempestades, aqui se faz, aqui se paga (pt), você colhe o que planta, o mundo dá voltas, tudo que vai volta
Romanian: Dumnezeu nu bate cu parul
Russian: как ау́кнется, так и откли́кнется (ru) (kak aúknetsja, tak i otklíknetsja), что посе́ешь, то и пожнёшь (što poséješʹ, to i požnjóšʹ)
Serbo-Croatian: sve se vraća, sve se plaća; kako siješ tako žanješ
Spanish: todo cae por su propio peso, donde las dan, las toman
Swedish: som man bäddar får man ligga, som man sår får man skörda, svinhugg går igen
Tagalog: kung anong itinanim, siya ring aanihin
Tamil: திணை விதைத்தவன் திணை அறுப்பான் (tiṇai vitaittavaṉ tiṇai aṟuppāṉ), வினை விதைத்தவன் வினை அறுப்பான் (viṉai vitaittavaṉ viṉai aṟuppāṉ)
Thai: กงเกวียนกำเกวียน (th) (gong-gwiian-gam-gwiian), กรรมใดใครก่อ กรรมนั้นคืนสนอง (gam-dai-krai-gɔ̀ɔ gam-nán-yɔ̂m-kʉʉn-sà-nɔ̌ɔng), กรรมตามสนอง (gam-dtaam-sà-nɔ̌ɔng), ให้ทุกข์แก่ท่าน ทุกข์นั้นถึงตัว (hâi-túk-gɛ̀ɛ-tân túk-nán-tʉ̌ng-dtuua)
Turkish: başkasına fenalık eden kendine etmiş olur
Uzbek: qaytar dunyo
Vietnamese: ác giả ác báo (vi), đời cha ăn mặn, đời con khát nước

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Albanian: Ç'të mbjellësh, do korrësh
Arabic: ^{(please verify)} كَمَا تَدِينُ تُدَانُ‎ (kamā tadīnu tudānu, literally “As you judge, you will be judged”), ^{(please verify)} أكلت يوم أكل الثور الأبيض‎
Bulgarian: ^{(please verify)} каквото повикало, такова се обадило (kakvoto povikalo, takova se obadilo)
Danish: man ligger som man har redt
Finnish: se, mikä menee ylös, tulee myös alas, ympäri käydään, yhteen tullaan
French: qui sème le vent, récolte la tempête (fr)
Georgian: რასაცა დასთეს, იმას მოიმკი (rasaca dastes, imas moimḳi)
Norwegian: man høster som man sår
Portuguese: tudo que vai volta
Russian: что посе́ешь, то и пожнёшь (što poséješʹ, to i požnjóšʹ)
Slovak: ^{(please verify)} ako sa do hory volá, tak sa z hory ozýva
Spanish: recoges lo que siembras, arrieros somos, y en el camino nos encontraremos
Swedish: som man bäddar får man ligga
Thai: ^{(please verify)} สูงสุดคืนสู่สามัญ (sǔung-sùt-kʉʉn-sùu-sǎa-man), ^{(please verify)} ใครทำอะไรก็ได้ผลตามนั้น (krai tam arai gôr dâai pŏn taam nán)
Turkish: ne ekersen onu biçersin
Vietnamese: gậy ông đập lưng ông (vi)

what goes around comes around

English

Alternative forms

Proverb

Translations

See also