Do good and forget it, do evil and think about it — when you do something kind, release it without expectation of return. But when you do something wrong, carry the memory of it as a guide and a weight. Generosity should be unconditional; wrongdoing should never be forgotten by the one who committed it.
This proverb contains a double moral teaching that runs against the grain of transactional thinking. In a society where favours were carefully tracked and debts of gratitude were real social currency, the injunction to forget one's own good deeds was almost radical. It meant: give without keeping score, help without expecting repayment, be generous without making the recipient feel the burden of obligation. The second half is equally demanding: do not forget your own wrongs. Not as a form of guilt paralysis, but as a moral compass — the memory of what you did wrong should make you better. The proverb was often recited at religious moments, tied to Sicilian Catholicism's emphasis on genuine contrition, and also as a practical social rule in communities where everyone knew everyone and reputation was built over generations.
A proverb with deep roots in Sicilian Catholic ethics, balancing the virtue of unconditional generosity with the moral weight of memory for one's own failings. 'Scordatillu' = dimenticalo, 'pinsacci' = pensaci.
A mother teaching her child about generosity after the child helped a friend
Hai fatto bene ad aiutarlo. Ma adesso: fai bene e scordatillu. Non aspettare che te lo renda.
You did well to help him. But now: do good and forget it. Do not wait for him to give it back.
An old man reflecting on a past mistake
Ho sbagliato con mio fratello tanti anni fa. Fai mali e pinsacci — non lo dimentico, e non ho mai smesso di cercare di rimediare.
I wronged my brother many years ago. Do evil and think about it — I do not forget it, and I have never stopped trying to make amends.
Advising a friend who is resentful because a favour was never returned
Non ti ha ringraziato. Ma tu lo sapevi già: fai bene e scordatillu. L'hai aiutato perché era giusto, non per avere qualcosa in cambio.
He did not thank you. But you already knew: do good and forget it. You helped him because it was right, not to get something in return.
A priest using the proverb in a homily
Il Vangelo ci dice la stessa cosa con parole diverse: fai bene e scordatillu, fai mali e pinsacci. È la grammatica della coscienza.
The Gospel tells us the same thing in different words: do good and forget it, do evil and think about it. It is the grammar of conscience.