“Two wrongs don’t make a right” is the proverb that talks us down from revenge. It reminds us that answering a bad deed with another bad deed only doubles the harm. Here is what it means, where it comes from, how to use it, and a few sayings that share its plea for the high road.
What Does “Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right” Mean?
The proverb means that a wrong action cannot be justified or cancelled out by responding with another wrong action. If someone hurts you, hurting them back does not undo the first injury — it simply adds a second one. The saying is used to discourage retaliation and to argue for fairness, forgiveness or restraint rather than tit-for-tat revenge.
Origin of the Proverb
Although it sounds ancient, the proverb is relatively young. The earliest clear record dates to 1783, when Benjamin Rush — a physician and one of the signers of the American Declaration of Independence — referred to the idea in a letter, in the form “three wrongs will not make one right.” The thought was already in the air: a 1734 poem in The London Magazine contained the line “two wrongs infer one right.” Over the following decades the wording settled into the simple, balanced phrase we use today.
Examples in a Sentence
- “Yes, they cheated you — but keying their car won’t help. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
- “He insulted you, so don’t insult him back. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
- “Stealing from a thief is still stealing; two wrongs don’t make a right.”
Similar Proverbs
- An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind — endless revenge harms everyone.
- Turn the other cheek — meet wrongdoing with restraint rather than retaliation.
- Revenge is a dish best served cold — a cautionary counterpoint about the appeal of payback.
- Forgive and forget — let go of a wrong rather than answering it with another.
For more sayings about right, wrong and forgiveness, see our truth proverbs and the full library of proverbs and their meanings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “two wrongs don’t make a right” mean?
It means that responding to a wrong with another wrong does not fix or justify the first one — it only adds more harm. The proverb discourages revenge.
Where does the proverb come from?
The earliest clear record is from 1783, in a letter by Benjamin Rush, with an even earlier related line (“two wrongs infer one right”) appearing in a 1734 poem.
What is a similar proverb?
“An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind” and “turn the other cheek” both share the message that revenge only deepens harm.