reaps what one sows
Earns one's outcome
To reap what one sows is to experience consequences that match one's actions—good outcomes from good behavior, bad from bad.
The phrase comes from agricultural logic: you harvest whatever seeds you planted.
It often carries moral weight, suggesting deserved outcomes: He cheated his partners for years, and now he's reaping what he sowed.
The positive version appears less frequently: She invested in her community, and now she's reaping what she sowed.
- consequenceResult of an action
- what goes aroundActions returning to sender
- comes aroundReturns in time
- sowingPlanting for cultivation
- justiceFair treatment under law
karma · fairness · seedtime · causality · harvesting · planting · fruition · moral law · inevitability · repercussions · accountability · comeuppance · outcome · reciprocity · chain reaction · responsibility · ethical principle · domino effect
reaps what one sowsluck of the draw
Outcome beyond control
blind luck · dumb luck · random chance · fate · roll of the dice
reaps what one sowsabove the law
Beyond legal accountability
untouchable · impunity · slips through the cracks · too big to fail
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