paying it forward
Generosity chain reaction
Paying it forward is responding to a kindness not by repaying the person who helped you, but by helping someone else—passing the good deed along to a third party.
The idea is that generosity ripples outward: She paid for my coffee once, so now I try to pay it forward when I can.
The phrase gained currency from a 2000 film but describes an older ethical concept.
- generosityReadiness to give freely
- kindnessConsiderate, caring disposition
- gratitudeThankfulness for kindness received
- goodwillKindly, generous spirit
- givingTransferring to another
charity · good deed · random act · altruism · karma · ripple · ripple effect · blessing · deed · stranger · unexpected · grace · chain · pay it back · warmth · warm heart · compassion · gift
- random kindnessholding doors, giving directions, shoveling snow, mowing lawns, baking cookies
- uplifting storiessuccess story, comeback story, underdog story, redemption story, survival story
- giving backdonates, generosity, volunteering, volunteers, selflessness
- givinggift, give, donating, donation, donate
- social normsnorms, greeting, mores, handshake, custom
paying it forwardreciprocating
Moving back and forth
quid pro quo · giving back · tit for tat · repaying · settling the score
paying it forwardhoarding
Excessive accumulation of goods
selfishness · freeloading · ingratitude · greed · stinginess
paying, paid, payer, payers, payable, payment, payments, repaid, repaying