No good deed

[mulberryrd]

What is meant by the phrase "No good deed goes unpunished"?

[Quizmonster]

This is a quote from Clare Boothe Luce, an American playwright and diplomat. She is known for her wit, which often involved saying things opposite to what had already been said or might be expected. Here's another: 'Communism is the opiate of the intellectuals', said to counterbalance the communist Karl Marx's idea that 'Religion is the opiate of the masses'. What she meant by the 'good deed' one was probably the idea that helping someone often leads to his resenting you rather than feeling grateful.

[firefly]

I don't think 'Communism being the opiate of the intellectuals' actually means the opposite of what it should-although I should imagine intellectuals talk about other things as well. No good deed goes unpunished-means whatever you do you're in the wrong.