ProverbHub
Arabic · Arabic scriptProverb: Verified

«عُيُوبِي لَا أَرَاهَا وِعْيُوبِ النَّاسْ أَجْرِي وَرَاهَا»

Meanings

Each meaning is reviewed on its own.

Meaning: Verified
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.

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