do well by doing good

The origin is unknown; in use since the mid-20th century. Although the phrase is sometimes attributed to Benjamin Franklin, the earliest documented usage is from Tom Lehrer's 1953 novelty song "The Old Dope Peddler."

• "Ev'ry evening you will find him / Around our neighborhood / It's the old dope peddler / Doing well by doing good"
• "The sanctioning doctrine of Good Works has been at hand every since Benjamin Franklin canonized the Arminian Heresy. So Cash McCall, like his patron saint, does well by doing good."
• "Of course, like most aid donors, Japan does well by doing good."
• "He wants companies selling Red products to make a profit by helping the poor—doing well by doing good."