proverb · Words worth keeping
Self love's a mote in every man's eye.
Self love's a mote in every man's eye.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Self-interest can interfere with a person’s judgement about themselves. The small obstruction in the eye suggests a distorted view, while leaving room for healthy self-respect and for fair criticism of an actual decision.
Example
A reviewer notices that they have excused their own late response while criticising a colleague’s, then applies the same agreed expectation to both.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The mote supplies an image of a small obstruction that interferes with seeing. Self-love is pictured as that obstruction when it makes a person excuse their own behaviour or overlook evidence they would notice in another. The broad every man is a rhetorical generalisation rather than a finding about all people. The saying does not establish that caring for oneself is wrong. Its strongest use concerns a particular judgement where pride or personal advantage may be affecting the standard applied. The useful response seeks another perspective and compares the evidence consistently, instead of turning reflection into self-contempt or accepting every accusation as deserved.
When to use it
Use it when personal interest may be distorting a standard applied to one’s own conduct.
Keep in mind
Self-respect is not the same as self-excusing bias; examine the particular decision rather than condemning the person.
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