Idiom
nice guys finish last
Meaning
People who are decent, friendly, and agreeable tend to be unsuccessful because they are outmaneuvered or overwhelmed by others who are not so decent, friendly, or agreeable.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He thinks nice guys finish last in this competitive office.”
“You will learn that nice guys finish last when you play this board game.”
“After losing the promotion to a dishonest coworker, he sadly concluded that nice guys finish last.”
“My brother refuses to lie to his clients even if it costs him the sale, proving that nice guys finish last in aggressive industries.”
“Despite his unwavering integrity and kindness, he often lamented that nice guys finish last in a world that rewards ruthless ambition.”
Examples
simple
“He thinks nice guys finish last in this competitive office.”
“You will learn that nice guys finish last when you play this board game.”
contextual
“After losing the promotion to a dishonest coworker, he sadly concluded that nice guys finish last.”
“My brother refuses to lie to his clients even if it costs him the sale, proving that nice guys finish last in aggressive industries.”
complex
“Despite his unwavering integrity and kindness, he often lamented that nice guys finish last in a world that rewards ruthless ambition.”
Origin
First appears in the US c. 1946, and condensed from a comment by the baseball manager Leo Durocher. The original quote was The nice guys are all over there, in seventh place. (1946 July 6), about the 1946 New York Giants — seventh place was next-to-last place in the National League. This was shortly afterwards rendered as ‘Nice Guys’ Wind Up in Last Place, Scoffs Lippy, hence giving the present form.
Key words
Related idioms
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