can't do right for doing wrong

English

Phrase

can't do right for doing wrong

1. (British) Be in a situation where any course of action leads to a negative outcome.
   • 1971, George MacDonald Fraser, Flash for Freedom!, page 59:

     “Hold your confounded tongue!” he bawled. “You can't do right for doing wrong, can you? No, by G-d! […]

   • 2013, Steve Collings, Michael Taillard, Corporate Finance for Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, page 201:

     Insolvency doesn't necessarily happen when a company is doing poorly; quite the contrary, it can happen just as easily when a company is too successful (you see, sometimes you can't do right for doing wrong!).

   • 2014, Patricia Furness-Smith, chapter 2, in Overcoming Problem Eating: A Practical Guide, Icon Books:

     They, like the sufferer, need support, since the emotional demands placed upon them can be very intense. They often feel that they can't do right for doing wrong when trying to offer help to the sufferer.

See also

• damned if one does and damned if one doesn't
• can't win for losing
• zugzwang