I've heard this saying a lot lately, referring to material goods (usually fall-apart cheapos), but lately I've been thinking of it in the metaphorical sense. You really do, intangibly, get what you pay for. You can call it Karma, or the Golden Rule, but the essence of it remains the same. In so many different ways, you get back what you put out there.
If you put a lot of effort, love, and compassion into your personal relationships, it will come back to you. Conversely, if you only put in as much as you have to and try to always stack the odds in your favor, you end up with unbalanced relationships where one is giving and the other taking.
When you feed your body food made with pesticides and unnecessary crap, you get your money's worth of health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, or high cholesterol.
People who pay attention to their children in a mostly negative away get resentful kids who respond to them negatively.
If you put the time and labor into building something quality, be it a home or a friendship, you will rewarded by something long-lasting and sturdy. Whereas, if you cut corners and skimp on materials, all you'll have is the bare minimum.
