- English translation
I can't see my own faults, yet I go chasing after everyone else's.
- Literal wording
My faults, I do not see them; and people's faults, I run after them.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying captures a common human failing: a person stays blind to their own shortcomings while eagerly hunting down and dwelling on the faults of everyone around them. It exposes the double standard of a critic who never turns that same harsh gaze inward.
Because the speaker uses the first person, the line may be an admission of personal hypocrisy or a mocking imitation of someone who constantly judges others. In either case, the contrast exposes the habit of overlooking one's own faults while eagerly detecting those of everyone else.
- When it is used
Use it to reproach someone who hunts for other people's failings while remaining oblivious to their own, or to make a self-mocking confession about that habit. It suits informal criticism and invites the listener to examine themselves before passing judgment.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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