Jak Kuba Bogu, tak Bóg Kubie
Listen
What it means
You get back what you give. If you treat others poorly, expect the same in return. Karma expressed in folk form.
English equivalent
What goes around comes around.
Vocabulary
- Kuba — Kuba (nickname for Jakub/Jacob)
- Bóg — God
Grammar note
'Bogu' and 'Kubie' are dative forms. The structure 'jak X Y-owi, tak Y X-owi' expresses reciprocity.
Cultural context
Kuba (Jakub) is a common Polish name used in folk proverbs. The proverb implies even God responds in kind to how you treat Him.
Intermediate
Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!
More Polish proverbs
- "A stepmother, even if made of sugar, is always bitter." No matter how kind a stepmother tries to …
- "For a wise head, two words are enough." A clever person needs only a brief hint to understand; …
- "A Pole is wise after the damage is done." Poles (or people in general) tend to learn from mistakes …
- "The wise will accept advice; the fool will scorn it." Intelligent people are open to counsel, while …