ENGLISH
REFERENCE

physician, heal thyself

idiom
Meaning

One should attend to one's own flaws or defects before presuming to advise others about theirs.


Origin

disputed origin

Calque of Ancient Greek ἰατρέ, θεράπευσον σεαυτόν (iatré, therápeuson seautón) and Latin medice, cūrā tē ipsum, from Luke 4:23.

Examples
SIMPLE

You should fix your own problems, physician, heal thyself.

CONTEXTUAL

He keeps telling me how to manage my stress, but he is always exhausted; I told him, physician, heal thyself.

COMPLEX

Before the senator criticizes the moral failings of his colleagues, he would do well to remember the old proverb: physician, heal thyself.

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