ProverbHuman Nature
Biblical origin
Biblical originNo man is a prophet in his own country
Meaning: Recognition is hardest to win from the people who know you best.
Where it's from: The Bible, Luke 4:24 and Matthew 13:57
Equivalents in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, and 3 more languages
French: Nul n'est prophète en son pays (literally: No one is a prophet in his own country)
Spanish: Nadie es profeta en su tierra (literally: Nobody is a prophet in his own land)
German: Der Prophet gilt nichts im eigenen Land (literally: The prophet counts for nothing in his own land)
Italian: Nessuno è profeta in patria (literally: No one is a prophet in their homeland)
Portuguese: Santos da casa não fazem milagres (literally: Home saints don't work miracles)
Dutch: Geen profeet is in zijn eigen land geëerd (literally: No prophet is honored in his own land)
Russian: Нет пророка в своём отечестве (Net proroka v svoyom otechestve) (literally: There's no prophet in his own homeland)
Polish: Nikt nie jest prorokiem między swymi (literally: No one is a prophet among his own)
Origin: From the gospels of Luke and Matthew. Jesus returns to Nazareth, where he grew up, and is met with mockery by people who had known him as the local carpenter's son and could not make him into anything else. Matthew closes the episode with the line that gives the saying its edge: he did not work many miracles there, because of their lack of faith. The French wording settles into its modern form in the middle of the 17th century, and the proverb is now said mostly by people describing their own careers.
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