Walk a mile...

Posted by ESC on November 12, 2000

In Reply to: Need assistance posted by Michelle on November 11, 2000

: I am trying to find the origin for the phrase "walk a mile in my shoes" and have not been successful. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks

This isn't the origin, but it's the complete phrase:

DON'T JUDGE A MAN UNTIL YOU HAVE WALKED A MILE IN HIS BOOTS - "Don't criticize another person's work until you've tried to do it yourself; don't judge another person's life until you've been forced to live it. The word 'criticize' may be used instead of 'judge' and 'shoes' instead of 'boots.' The main entry is one of the 101 most frequently used American proverbs, according to lexicographer Harris Collis." From Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).