Idiom
live and let live
Meaning
To be tolerant; to enjoy the pleasures and opportunities which life offers and to allow others to do the same.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“We live and let live in our neighborhood.”
“You should live and let live instead of judging your friends' hobbies.”
“My neighbors have different beliefs than mine, but we prefer to live and let live.”
“Even though I disagree with how my sister raises her children, I choose to live and let live to keep our family dinners peaceful.”
“The travelers decided to live and let live when they realized their roommates had very different sleeping habits and cultural traditions.”
“Despite their profound ideological differences, the two colleagues agreed to live and let live to maintain a productive working relationship.”
Examples
simple
“We live and let live in our neighborhood.”
“You should live and let live instead of judging your friends' hobbies.”
contextual
“My neighbors have different beliefs than mine, but we prefer to live and let live.”
“Even though I disagree with how my sister raises her children, I choose to live and let live to keep our family dinners peaceful.”
“The travelers decided to live and let live when they realized their roommates had very different sleeping habits and cultural traditions.”
complex
“Despite their profound ideological differences, the two colleagues agreed to live and let live to maintain a productive working relationship.”
Origin
The phrase is possibly a calque of the Dutch *leven en laten leven*, appearing in English as *leuen ende laeten leuen* in 1622. This particular iteration was recorded by Gerard de Malynes in a treatise concerning the laws of trade. The sentiment appears to have entered the language as a matter of mercantile policy rather than moral philosophy.
Key words
Related idioms
- Updated