reap what one sows

English

Etymology

It Shoots Further than He Dreams (March 1918) by John F. Knott.

From Galatians 6:7 in the Bible (King James Version; spelling modernized): “Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɹiːp (h)wɒt wʌn ˈsəʊz/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɹip wɑt wʌn ˈsoʊz/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊz

Verb

reap what one sows (third-person singular simple present reaps what one sows, present participle reaping what one sows, simple past reaped what one sowed or reaped what one had sown, past participle reaped what one has sown or reaped what one had sown)

1. (intransitive, idiomatic) To receive as a return or reward in the same measure as one's exertions or intentions, in a good or a bad sense; to receive justice or one's just deserts.
   • 2005 November 15, Tony Blair, The Guardian:

     "We will reap what we sow; live with what we do not act to change," he said.

Related terms

• as you sow, so shall you reap

Translations

to receive as a return or reward in the same measure as one’s exertions or intentions

• Afrikaans: boontjie kry sy loontjie (af) (literally “small bean gets his small paycheck”)
• Ancient Greek: ὃ γὰρ ἐὰν σπείρῃ ἄνθρωπος, τοῦτο καὶ θερίσει (hò gàr eàn speírēi ánthrōpos, toûto kaì therísei)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 自食其果 (zh) (zìshíqíguǒ), 自作自受 (zh) (zìzuòzìshòu)

• Dutch: wat je zaait zul je oogsten
• Esperanto: kiu semas venton, rikoltas fulmotendron
• Finnish: mitä kylvää, sitä niittää
• French: récolter ce qu’on a semé (fr), qui sème le vent récolte la tempête (fr)
• Georgian: რასაც დასთეს, იმას მოიმკი (rasac dastes, imas moimḳi)
• German: wer Wind sät, wird Sturm ernten (de), man erntet was man sät
• Greek: όπως στρώσεις, θα κοιμηθείς (ópos stróseis, tha koimitheís), ό,τι σπέρνεις, θερίζεις (ó,ti spérneis, therízeis)
• Hungarian: ki mint vet, úgy arat (hu), ki mint veti ágyát, úgy alussza álmát (hu), amit főzött, egye meg (hu)
• Italian: si raccoglie ciò che si semina
• Japanese: 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), 自業自得 (ja) (じごうじとく, jigōjitoku)
• Korean: 콩 심은 데 콩 나고 팥 심은 데 팥 난다 (ko) (kong simeun de kong nago pat simeun de pat nanda), 자업자득(自業自得) (ko) (ja'eopjadeuk)
• Lithuanian: ką pasėsi tą ir pjausi
• Macedonian: што си сеел, тоа ќе жнееш (što si seel, toa ḱe žneeš)
• Persian: از ماست که بر ماست (az mâ-st ke bar mâ-st)
• Polish: nawarzyłeś piwa, to musisz je teraz wypić (pl)
• Portuguese: colher o que semear
• Romanian: culegi ceea ce semeni
• Russian: как посе́ешь, так и пожнёшь (kak poséješʹ, tak i požnjóšʹ), что посе́ешь, то и пожнёшь (što poséješʹ, to i požnjóšʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: an nì a chuireas duine is e a bhuaineas e
• Spanish: recoger lo que se siembra, cosechar lo que se siembra
• Swedish: som man sår får man skörda
• Thai: หว่านพืชเช่นไร ย่อมได้ผลเช่นนั้น (wàan pêut chên rai, yôm dâai pŏn châynánán)
• Turkish: ektiğini biçmek
• Uzbek: ekkaningni oʻrasan
• Vietnamese: gieo gió, gặt bão, gieo nhân nào, gặt quả ấy, gieo nhân nào gặt quả nấy

See also

• bring one's own hide to market
• every man is the architect of his own fortune
• fuck around and find out
• karma
• Leopards Eating People's Faces Party
• make one's bed and lie in it
• play stupid games, win stupid prizes
• sow dragon's teeth
• sow the wind, reap the whirlwind
• stew in one's juices
• what goes around comes around