Every person is a mirror to another
Meaning: We see our own nature reflected in how we treat others and how others respond to us.
Origin: The best-documented source is a saying of the Prophet Muhammad recorded in the hadith collections: "The believer is the mirror of his brother," meaning that friends should gently show each other their faults. Mirror imagery is also central to Sufi poetry such as Rumi's.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, and Japanese
- French: Chaque personne est un miroir pour une autre (literally: Every person is a mirror to another)
- Spanish: Cada persona es un espejo para otra (literally: Every person is a mirror to another)
- Japanese: 人はお互いの鏡 (Hito wa otagai no kagami) (literally: People are mirrors to each other)
More proverbs about Human Nature
- A man's home is his castle — A person's home is their private domain, which no one may enter or interfere with without…
- Behind every great man is a great woman — Significant male achievement typically depends on crucial female support, often unrecogni…
- Clothes don't make the man — External appearances cannot determine a person's true character, integrity, or worth.
- Every man has a price — Self-interest ultimately overcomes principle when temptation or desperation grows large e…
- He laughs best that laughs last — Final triumph matters more than immediate advantage or temporary mockery.
- It's a man's world — Women historically faced systemic exclusion from power, property, and opportunity in male…
From our false friends
- Firma — Actually means 'signature'. Metti la tua firma = Put your signature here.
- Magazzino — Actually means 'warehouse' or 'storeroom'. A magazine (periodical) is una rivista.
- Conveniente — Actually means 'affordable', 'good value', or 'suitable'. È conveniente = It's a good dea…