nice guys finish last

proverb

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.

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Meanings

proverb
  1. idiomaticPeople 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.

    "He can be as moderate as he likes. Nobody else will be. In Washington these days, nice guys finish last."

    1998 March 23, Seth Schiesel, “All Too Soon, New F.C.C. Chief Finds Warm Welcome Is Cooling”, in New York Times, retrieved 10 Jul 2012
    2 more examples

    The size of his victory . . . contradicted the maxim of latter-day fellow Californian Leo Durocher, who once said positively: "Nice guys finish last."

    1956 November 19, “National Affairs: Nice Guy Finishes First”, in Time

    Nonetheless, a team of business experts claims to have proved the pessimistic notion that "nice guys finish last" – at least where money is concerned.

    2011 December 5, Richard Hall, “I didn't get where I am today by being nice... Study reveals agreeable men earn £4,500 less than their ruthless colleagues”, in The Independent, UK, retrieved 10 Jul 2012

Origin

First appears in the US c. 1946, and condensed from a comment by the baseball manager Leo Durocher. The original quote was The nice guys are all over there, in seventh place. (1946 July 6), 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, hence giving the present form.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French qui se fait brebis le loup le mange
  • qui se fait brebis le loup le mangepeople who are decent, friendly, and agreeable tend to be unsuccessful because they are outmaneuvered or overwhelmed
Hungarian a rendesek végeznek mindig az utolsó helyen
  • a rendesek végeznek mindig az utolsó helyenpeople who are decent, friendly, and agreeable tend to be unsuccessful because they are outmaneuvered or overwhelmed
Polish dobrzy ludzie nie mają szczęścia
  • dobrzy ludzie nie mają szczęściapeople who are decent, friendly, and agreeable tend to be unsuccessful because they are outmaneuvered or overwhelmed
Cite this entry
APA

nice guys finish last. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nice%20guys%20finish%20last

MLA

“nice guys finish last.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nice%20guys%20finish%20last. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nice guys finish last,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nice%20guys%20finish%20last.

Source: nice guys finish last on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.