nice guys finish last

Those who are overly pleasant, considerate, or deferential will not be as successful as those willing to be more ruthless. Nice guys finish last in this industry—if you aren't prepared to step on a few toes, you're never going to get anywhere.

Nice guys finish last.

Prov. You will never be able to get what you want by being kind and considerate. The unscrupulous salesman advised his trainees, "Don't worry if you have to lie about the product to get the customer to buy it. Nice guys finish last."

nice guys finish last

AMERICAN

People say nice guys finish last to mean that people who behave in a fair and pleasant way will not be successful in a competitive situation. Our culture rewards aggressive types — after all, we all know nice guys finish last.

See also: finish, guy, last, nice

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

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References in periodicals archive ?

Nice Guys Finish Last (New York: Simon & Schuster), 1975.

From the gashouse to the Glasshouse: Leo Durocher and the 1972-73 Houston Astros

Nearly pounds 30m in debt, no immediate prospect of a buyer, a team already looking haunted by the spectre of relegation - the old adage 'Nice guys finish last' is becoming accurate when it comes to Rams' boss George Burley.

Football: Hulse turns heat up on Rams flops; Derby 0 West Brom 1

Along similar lines, the original "Angels in the Outfield" has a volatile and comically controversial manager (Paul Douglas) who owes more than a little to another independent-minded Hall of Famer--manager Leo "nice guys finish last" Durocher, noted for his dirt-kicking harangues of umpires.

Hollywood plays the national pastime. (Reel World)

If that is the majority opinion, he is the living embodiment of the old adage, "nice guys finish last."

Sound Off

They say nice guys finish last. Maybe not this time.

SUNDAY MAIL OPINION: Euro tactics of shame

The main lesson is that nice guys finish last, and the film's most problematic feature is its casting of Woody Allen as the nice guy in question.

Crimes and Misdemeanors

As the saying goes - nice guys finish last and while there is no suggestion Liverpool should be a horrible team and cheat to win games, the change in attitude that appears to come to fruition across the side against Brighton is a Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker during Saturday's victory at Brighton

Mastering dark arts to fuel bid for title GLORY; analysis

Nice guys finish last? Well, in the case of humans that might not be true.

Nice Bonobos Finish Last

ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster is quietly putting paid to the myth nice guys finish last.

Lancaster the perfect fit for England's quiet ascent

The first is a sitcom pilot called Nice Guys Finish Last, written by and starring Rob and produced by Steve Coogan's company.

'Road-kill' Rob is reaching his Peak; Comedy

Nice Guys Finish Last is also a blatant foot-tapper while Dancing With The Stars has a melodic chorus to die for.

COBRA STARSHIP Hot Mess (Decaydance) [...]

IF IT'S true that nice guys finish last, the nation won't care that Fabio Capello just doesn't do friendly.

NOW IT GETS SERIOUS.. Perma-frown Capello sees his men warm up with 'friendly' victory

Talented enough in many areas (sports, music, mathematics) to ultimately fail at all of them, Wiebe embodies the aphorism that nice guys finish last.

The King of Kong

Whoever said that nice guys finish last has never met Melvin Cutler and Frederic Mulligan.

The Cutler story: nice guys finish first

Brooklyn Dodger baseball manager Leo Durocher maintained that "nice guys finish last," but that doesn't apply to the business world, according to professor of marketing Scott B.