- English translation
A person who decides what to do with his own belongings commits no injustice.
- Literal wording
Whoever rules over his own thing has not done wrong.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying holds that an owner who makes decisions about his own possessions cannot be accused of injustice. Whatever he chooses to do with what is rightfully his, whether keeping, selling, or giving it away, lies within his rights and earns no blame.
In practice the expression marks a boundary against outside interference. It tells critics that their disapproval carries no moral weight when the matter concerns property that belongs to someone else, since the owner alone answers for such choices. Its defense stops there; it does not excuse decisions that harm other people or their rights.
- When it is used
Use it when someone questions how another person spends, gives away, or disposes of their own belongings. It works as a reply defending that choice, or as a reminder to onlookers that the owner's decision is not theirs to criticize.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: A person who decides what to do with his own belongings commits no injustice.