proverb · Words worth keeping
Pry not into other people's affairs.
Pry not into other people's affairs.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Respect other people’s privacy rather than investigating a matter merely out of curiosity. The saying sets a boundary around intrusion, without forbidding relevant questions, freely offered support or appropriate attention to harm.
Example
A neighbour offers help with a delivery without asking for unrelated details about the recipient’s private family arrangements.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
Prying suggests pushing into information that another person has not chosen to share. A useful reading asks why the information is wanted, whether it concerns a shared responsibility and whether the person can freely decline the question. Curiosity alone need not supply a reason to uncover a private matter or repeat it to others. Still, privacy should not become an excuse to ignore harm or prevent someone seeking support. The proverb encourages discretion in ordinary relationships rather than deciding every disputed boundary. Consider the actual purpose of asking and the amount of information that purpose reasonably needs.
When to use it
Use it when curiosity is becoming an intrusion into another person’s private matters.
Keep in mind
Privacy has context; relevant responsibilities, freely chosen disclosure and attention to harm may justify questions.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English