nice guys finish last
English
Etymology
US 1946, condensed from a comment by a baseball manager Leo Durocher.[1] The original quote was “The nice guys are all over there, in seventh place.” (1946 July 6),[2][1] 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”,[3] hence giving the present form.[1]
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Proverb
nice guys finish last
- (idiomatic) 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.
- 1956 Nov. 19, "National Affairs: Nice Guy Finishes First," Time:
- The size of his victory . . . contradicted the maxim of latter-day fellow Californian Leo Durocher, who once said positively: "Nice guys finish last."
- 1998 March 23, Seth Schiesel, "All Too Soon, New F.C.C. Chief Finds Warm Welcome Is Cooling," New York Times (retrieved 10 July 2012):
- "He can be as moderate as he likes. Nobody else will be. In Washington these days, nice guys finish last."
- 2011 Dec. 5, Richard Hall, "I didn't get where I am today by being nice... Study reveals agreeable men earn £4,500 less than their ruthless colleagues," The Independent (UK) (retrieved 10 July 2012):
- Nonetheless, a team of business experts claims to have proved the pessimistic notion that "nice guys finish last" – at least where money is concerned.
- 1956 Nov. 19, "National Affairs: Nice Guy Finishes First," Time:
Usage notes
- Often expressed in a cynical manner.
Translations
people who are decent, friendly, and agreeable tend to be unsuccessful because they are outmaneuvered or overwhelmed
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See also
- the good die young
- war makes thieves, and peace hangs them
References
- The Yale Book of Quotations, Fred R. Shapiro, Yale University Press, 2006, p. 221
- N.Y. Journal American, 1946 July 7
- Sporting News, 1946 July 17
- nice guys finish last at OneLook Dictionary Search