Throw good deeds into the sea. If the sea forgets, the waves won't.

Armenian proverb, Bayan, Armenian Proverbs and Sayings (1889)

What it means

Do good without keeping a ledger. Let it go as if you were tossing it into the water. Kindness has a way of washing back, often from a direction you never expected.

The source

"Throw good deeds into the sea. If the sea forgets, the waves won't." This Armenian proverb is recorded in Bayan, Armenian Proverbs and Sayings (1889). Translated by Bayan, 1889.

"All the good that you do go and throw it into the sea, if the sea does not render it to you its waves will."

Bayan, 1889, Bayan, Armenian Proverbs and Sayings (1889). Text read at archive.org.

Who said it

Proverbs of the world (Every age). Sayings from the Latin, Greek, Norse, Japanese, Chinese and more, each traced to an old source in its own language.

Questions

What does "Throw good deeds into the sea. If the sea forgets, the waves won't." mean?: Do good without keeping a ledger. Let it go as if you were tossing it into the water. Kindness has a way of washing back, often from a direction you never expected.
Who said "Throw good deeds into the sea. If the sea forgets, the waves won't."?: Armenian proverb. Source: Bayan, Armenian Proverbs and Sayings (1889).
What is the original wording?: All the good that you do go and throw it into the sea, if the sea does not render it to you its waves will (Bayan, 1889). Translated by Bayan, 1889.
Is "Throw good deeds into the sea. If the sea forgets, the waves won't." on a shirt?: Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 6 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

Cite this line

"Throw good deeds into the sea. If the sea forgets, the waves won't." (Armenian proverb, Bayan, Armenian Proverbs and Sayings (1889), trans. Bayan, 1889). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/throw-good-deeds-into-the-sea-if-the