What does ‘two wrongs don't make a right’ mean?
To “two wrongs don't make a right” means to responding to wrongdoing with wrongdoing is not justified. Brewer's lists this among the classic English proverbs of ethics.
Origin
- Brewer's lists this among the classic English proverbs of ethics.
How to use it
- Standard rebuke in disputes.
- Example: Don't retaliate — two wrongs don't make a right.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.