ProverbWisdom
English origin1546
English origin1546The shoemaker's children go barefoot
Meaning: Those who possess expertise often neglect applying it to their own household's needs.
Origin: An old proverb that craftsmen neglect their own families while serving customers. John Heywood's 1546 collection asks, "Who is worse shod than the shoemaker's wife, / With shops full of new-shapen shoes all her life?" It is now said of any expert who neglects their own household.
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