Critics are like brushers of other men's clothes.
Meaning: Critics remove surface blemishes from others' work while remaining invisible to their own imperfections and contributions.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
More proverbs about Wisdom
- Crosses are ladders for getting to heaven. — Suffering and hardship, like rungs on a ladder, provide the necessary steps toward spirit…
- Crosses are ladders that lead to heaven. — Suffering and hardship, when endured with faith, become the means of spiritual elevation…
- Where are the crumbs there are the chickens. — Traces of consumption reveal where attention and resources naturally congregate.
- Curses are like chickens, they come home to roost. — Malicious words and wishes eventually harm the person who spoke them, returning with cons…
- I had not cut my wise teeth. — Lacking experience or maturity, one cannot yet recognize or act upon good judgment.
- Desperate cuts must have desperate cures. — Severe problems require bold, unconventional solutions, even if risky or painful.
From our idioms
- old flame — A former romantic partner, especially one whose memory still stirs affection.
- old fogey — An elderly person with old-fashioned or reactionary views.
- were you born in a tent — An admonishment to someone who has carelessly left a door open.