In my native language, we have this obscene saying - don't take a dump in the barrel of honey

The implication is that one must not display a disrespectful behavior in regards to his/her friends or the people he/she knows very well, because as the honey in the barrel won't be edible anymore after someone defecates in it, so the friendship or relationship can no longer last, in case one of the sides does something totally unacceptable. One must not exhibit such a behavior that will outweigh all of his/her good deeds. Is there a similar kind of idiom or profane saying in English?


Don’t shit where you eat.

Per the Wiktionary entry,

(idiomatic, vulgar) One should not cause trouble in a place, group, or situation in which one regularly finds oneself.

Usage notes: Often used as a warning of the dangers of workplace romances.

Related to, and synonymous with, the already-suggested don’t shit in your own backyard and others, but far more common than those, by nearly a factor of 9, per Google Ngrams.

Exploring the Ngrams results suggests that this is regional: searching American English finds results for this, as well as don’t shit where you sleep (the variation I usually hear, probably for the alliteration) as well doorstep, but searching British English finds only results for the doorstep version.


An English proverb with the same meaning is: don't bite the hand that feeds (you), according to The Free Dictionary:

Do not scorn or treat ill those on whom one depends or derives benefit, for to do so is to risk losing those benefits altogether. 1

This does not necessarily imply a position of superiority of the 'hand', consider the definition by Cambridge Dictionary:

to act badly towards the person who is helping or has helped you 4

If it should use offensive language, you might use don't shit in your own backyard, according to Urban Dictionary (click link for longer description):

A variant of "don't bite the hand that feeds you", 'Don't shit in your own backyard' means don't trash a good thing, take advantage of or ruin a close relationship. If you have a positive situation or loving or giving person in your life, you should be careful to protect it/them. 2

The rude version is most commonly used as shit in your own nest or shit on your own doorstep. To support that claim, consider this ngram. Thanks to @FumbleFingers for pointing this out in the comments.

Attribution:

1 "Don't Bite the Hand That Feeds." The Free Dictionary. Accessed March 30, 2018. https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/don't bite the hand that feeds.

2 "Don't Shit in Your Own Backyard." Urban Dictionary. Accessed March 30, 2018. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=don't shit in your own backyard.

4 "Bite the Hand That Feeds You Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary." Cambridge Dictionary. Accessed March 30, 2018. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you.


An idiomatic expression meaning one must not display a disrespectful behavior in regards to his/her friends or the people you know very well because ... the friendship or relationship can no longer last is "don't burn your bridges".

TFD(idioms):

burn (one's) bridges

2. To do something that cannot be easily undone or reversed in the future (often because one has behaved offensively or unfavorably). 
I think you really burned your bridges when you announced you were quitting and proceeded to insult your boss in front of the whole staff.
She's young, so I don't think she realizes that she'll be burning her bridges if she goes to work for their competitor.

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.


I think the closest English adage would be "don't piss in the well", though, it's fallen out of common use as wells have fallen out of common use in the English speaking world.

I think KRyan's answer provides the most commonly used English saying conveying the same general sentiment.


In the UK, this expression means (to me) the same as our expression 'don't shit on your own doorstep' but it has a very specific meaning rather than a general one. Its use is usually confined to warning someone about not having an extra marital affair with the person who lives next door or just across the road or in the same street, or with a friend who is known to both members of the couple.