A Proverb to Cherish: ‘One Good Turn Deserves Another’

Illustration by Harrison Weir in “Three Hundred Aesop's Fables,” 1867, translated by the Rev. Geo. Fyler Townsend. Public domain

The proverb “One good turn deserves another” has fallen out of use to some extent, but by learning about it, reflecting on it, and using it, perhaps we can help keep it alive. It has been a part of English for about 500 years.

The earliest written record of “One good turn deserves another” was found in a Latin manuscript from around the turn of the 15th century. However, its first written record in English appeared in John Heywood’s 1546 book “Proverbs,” where it is stated as: “One good turne asketh another.” And in 1622, Bishop Joseph Hall wrote in his “Contemplations” that one good turn “requires” another.

It expresses a beautiful sentiment: Acts of kindness should be passed on. It’s sometimes also interpreted as: Good deeds will be rewarded. Either we pass them on, or someone above passes them on to us.

A Children’s Story

There’s a story that many of us know that exemplifies “One good turn deserves another” and perhaps helped to solidify the concept in the Western consciousness. That story is the touching “The Lion and the Mouse” from Aesop’s fables. While we all know the name “Aesop’s fables,” here is a word of background on the text from the World History Encyclopedia:

“Written by a former Greek slave, in the late to mid-6th century BCE, Aesop’s Fables are the world’s best known collection of morality tales. The fables, numbering 725, were originally told from person-to-person as much for entertainment purposes but largely as a means for relaying or teaching a moral or lesson.”

For the unfamiliar or the forgetful, the fable at hand, “The Lion and the Mouse,” goes as follows, in simple terms:

One day, a large lion is sleeping in the forest, and a mouse comes scurrying along. The mouse’s rustling, perhaps even across the lion’s nose, awakens the lion, and he grows angry.

The mouse tries to scurry away, but the mighty lion catches it under his huge paw. The mouse fervently begs the lion to spare her and promises that, if he does, she will one day return the favor. This the lion finds highly amusing, for he doubts whether such a tiny creature could help such a powerful one like him. However, he lets the mouse go.

Some time later, the mouse hears a tremendous roar in the forest and realizes it is the lion in trouble. The lion has been ensnared by hunters and is trapped in a giant net. But the intelligent little mouse knows exactly what to do—she slowly and patiently gnaws her way through the net’s ropes, one after another, until the lion is free.

The lion is extremely grateful, and we see that the lion’s kindness was rewarded by the steadfast little mouse.

The ‘One Good Turn’ Angel of Our Day

Few people embody the proverb “One good turn deserves another” better than Larry Stewart. His story is truly inspiring on many levels.

This philanthropist didn’t start out being very wealthy, to say the least.

When Mr. Stewart was in his 20s, he was desperately looking for work when his car ran out of gas in a small town in Mississippi. He had no money at all, so he slept in his car and ate nothing for two days.

But at one point, he just couldn’t take it—he went to a restaurant and ate a big breakfast, knowing that he couldn’t pay for it. There was only one man working there that day, and he was the owner. When the owner gave him the bill, Mr. Stewart responded by pretending he had lost his wallet. In his desperation, he didn’t know what else to do.

Then, the owner came over to the table and half-pretended to pick something up from the ground. He had a $20 bill in his hand and said to Mr. Stewart, “You must have dropped this.” Mr. Stewart was extremely grateful, though he just played along at the time, and at that moment, he vowed to God to repay this act of kindness.

Later, Mr. Stewart started a cable TV business and became very wealthy. So, about 10 years after his experience in Mississippi, he began to “pay forward” the restaurant owner’s kindness—by giving cash bills away to people he encountered here and there who were in trouble.

After this, he returned to the restaurant in Mississippi and gave the owner an envelope with $10,000 cash in it. Initially, the kindhearted owner didn’t want to accept, but Mr. Stewart insisted.

Over time, Mr. Stewart became a “secret Santa” who traveled around the country and dressed up somewhat like Santa, giving cash to people who seemed to need it. He went to New York City after 9/11, to Gulfport, Mississippi, after Hurricane Katrina, and more. Over time, Mr. Stewart estimates that he gave away about $1.3 million—all because of a kind act and a prayer.

While times may seem different now, with rampant drug use and other social problems that may make a person hesitant to give out cash, Mr. Stewart’s spirit is still something we can carry with us, and we can strive to pass on the kindness others show, knowing all the while that our acts don’t go unnoticed above.

“One good turn deserves another.”