ProverbMoralityEnglish origin1642

Charity begins at home

Meaning: Take care of your own family before helping others.

Example: “He sends money to his parents before any collection at work: charity begins at home.”

Origin: The phrase took its modern shape in Sir Thomas Browne's Religio Medici (1642): "Charity begins at home, is the voice of the world." Browne was quoting common opinion rather than endorsing it. The underlying idea — that duty to one's own family comes first — goes back to 1 Timothy 5:8.

Equivalents in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, and 2 more languages

  • French: Charité bien ordonnée commence par soi-même (literally: Well-ordered charity begins with oneself)
  • Spanish: La caridad bien entendida empieza por uno mismo (literally: Well-understood charity begins with oneself)
  • German: Jeder ist sich selbst der Nächste (literally: Everyone is his own nearest neighbor)
  • Italian: La carità comincia a casa propria (literally: Charity begins at one's own home)
  • Russian: Своя рубашка ближе к телу (Svoya rubashka blizhe k telu) (literally: Your own shirt is closer to your body)
  • Polish: Bliższa koszula ciału niż sukmana (literally: The shirt is closer to the body than the coat)
  • Arabic: الأقربون أولى بالمعروف (Al-aqrabūn awlā bil-maʿrūf) (literally: Relatives come first for kindness)

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