Learn English – ny equivalent for this Persian proverb “A lopsided load won’t reach the destination”

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There is a proverb in Persian that literally means:

"A lopsided load won't reach the (given) destination."

It implies that "dishonesty, deviation from the right path, or injustice wouldn't have good or favorite consequences".

We use it:

  • for criticizing or giving advice to somebody who is trying to gain
    their goals through dishonesty, deceitful actions, or injustice.

or

  • when someone has acted dishonestly and now has faced bad consequences
    so we remind them "Didn't you know that a lopsided load won't reach
    the destination?!"

Is there any equivalent for this Persian proverb in English language?

PS:

As you see in the below cartoon, watermelons have been loaded lopsidedly on the poor donkey's back, so the man is not able to deliver them to the (given) market.

enter image description here

Update:

I just found that in some Persian to English sources "honesty is the best policy" is considered as the equivalent to this proverb, does it have the same connotation?

Best Answer

ill-gotten gains never prosper; ill-gotten goods seldom/never prosper; evil-gotten goods never prove well

But there is a proverb which says that ill-gotten gains never prosper, and the Prince found that the stolen ring brought him ill-luck after all.

The Free Dictionary

Ill-gotten gains: money gained by questionable means

This is all that is left in general use of a proverb that ran 'Ill-gotten gains never prosper'. This first appeared in English in 1519 in the form 'Evil gotten riches will never prove long', and Shakespeare has it in the form 'Didst thou never hear / That things ill got had ever bad success (Henry VI, part 3, II.ii). Ill-gotten gains had become separated from their proverb by the late 17th century, and were a cliché by the 19th.

TinyOnLine

variants of this proverb:

cheats never prosper; cheaters never win and winners never cheat Dictionary of Proverbs

what is gotten over the devil's back should go under his belly

Early American Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases

It is said, money that is dishonestly acquired, will not "stick," in other words, money that comes over the Devil's back, will go under the Devil's belly," therefor, young men, you who are starting out in life, start honestly. (emphasis is mine.) newspapers.com

crime doesn't pay

Prov. Crime will ultimately not benefit a person. No matter how tempting it may appear, crime doesn't pay.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

Variant of this proverb:

He who steals will always fail A Dictionary of American Proverbs

live by the sword, die by the sword

Prov. If you use violence against other people, you can expect to have violence used against you.; You can expect to become a victim of whatever means you use to get what you want. (Biblical.) The gang leader who organized so many murders was eventually murdered himself. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Bill liked to spread damaging gossip about other people, until he lost all his friends because of some gossip that was spread about him.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

The saying “live by the sword, die by the sword” is an idiom that basically means “what goes around comes around.” More to the point, “if you use violent, forceful, or underhanded methods against other people, you can expect those same methods to be used against you.”

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