There is actually a Talmudic discussion on the etiology of this phrase (Baba Kama 92b), though in that quote it uses "קלא" or ashes, instead of a stone. This actually makes more sense: If you throw ashes into a well that you drank from, you may not be able to drink from it again. Despite this, you find the idea of a stone ("even") being thrown in a well in Rabbinic sources (Bamidbar Rabba 22:4, Shemot Raba 20:1). It is based on the midrash that Moses would not strike the water or the earth during the ten plagues, because both the water and the earth had previously saved his life. The phrase becomes more powerful when we realize that neither the well nor the stone has any feelings. Yet we are urged not to throw anything into it and show our gratitude. How much more so when dealing with people.

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