Literal translation
a good deed is never wasted, unless an ingrate has received it
Meaning
a good deed is never wasted, unless met with ingratitude
Explanation
The proverb takes up the common idea that doing a good turn never goes without effect, while adding a sharp reservation: the only exception to this generous rule is when the good deed falls into the hands of an ingrate, incapable of acknowledging or returning it. This closing barb tempers the optimism of the first half and introduces a more disillusioned observation about human nature, ingratitude appearing as the only force able to cancel out the value of a kind act. The word bènfa means precisely a good deed, a kind action done for someone else, and ingrat translates without change of form between Provençal and French, the term being nearly identical in both languages. The verb reçaupu, past participle of to receive, closes the sentence on the idea of reception, contrasting the one who receives with gratitude against the one who receives without giving anything back. The saying is quoted, with a certain bitterness, to comment on an experience of generosity poorly repaid, or to warn in advance against that risk.