Do what I say, not what I do
Meaning: Hypocrisy acknowledged: the speaker recognizes their own failures but knows the correct path anyway.
Origin: The idea echoes Jesus' words about the Pharisees in Matthew 23:3 — do what they tell you, but not what they do. John Selden's Table-Talk, published in 1689, says that preachers say, "Do as I say, not as I do."
More proverbs about Communication
- It's not what you say but how you say it — Tone and delivery shape message impact more powerfully than words alone.
- Live by the sword, die by the sword — Violence begets violence; those who choose aggressive means should expect equally brutal…
- No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public — Mass audiences reward simplicity over substance, making mediocrity perpetually profitable.
- As you make your bed so you must lie on it. — Your choices about how you arrange your life will directly determine the comfort or disco…
- He who lies long in bed his estate feels it. — Laziness depletes wealth as surely as an idle body consumes resources without producing i…
- You would make me believe the moon is made of green cheese. — Absurd claims require absurd evidence; gullibility has limits even when persuasion is ski…
From our tongue twisters
- Didon dîna, dit-on, du dos d'un dodu dindon dont le dodu dos dodine. — A 'd' / 'din' / 'dod' avalanche that seems designed to jam the tongue in third gear.
- Zehn zahme Ziegen ziehen zehn Zentner Zucker zum Zoo. — A sustained 'z' / 'ts' drill — every word starts with the same affricate.
- Wenn Fliegen hinter Fliegen fliegen, fliegen Fliegen Fliegen nach. — Fliegen means 'flies' (insects), 'to fly', and 'flying' — all at once, relentlessly.