nice guys finish last

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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[edit]

  • (file)

Proverb[edit]

nice guys finish last

  1. (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.

Usage notes[edit]

  • Often expressed in a cynical manner.

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Yale Book of Quotations, Fred R. Shapiro, Yale University Press, 2006, p. 221
  2. ^ N.Y. Journal American, 1946 July 7
  3. ^ Sporting News, 1946 July 17