People in glass...

Posted by ESC on February 22, 2001

In Reply to: Phrase posted by James Briggs on February 22, 2001

: : can you please tell me what this means?

: :
: : "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"

: :
: : thank you...

: : rgds,
: : mf

: It means that you should not be critical of people's behaviour unless your own behaviour is unmblemished. eg don't accuse someone of drinking too much if you have committed the same sin! Thus, if you live in a glasshouse it is sensible not to throw stones - they could well do damage!

: That's the general gist!

For more discussion, search the discussion archives under "glass."

PEOPLE IN GLASS HOUSES SHOULDN'T THROW STONES - "Those who are vulnerable should not attack others. The proverb has been traced back to Geoffrey Chaucer's 'Troilus and Criseyde' . George Herbert wrote in 1651: 'Whose house is of glass, must not throw stones at another.' This saying is first cited in the United States in 'William & Mary College Quarterly' . Twenty-six later Benjamin Franklin wrote, 'Don't throw stones at your neighbors', if your own windows are glass.' 'To live in a glass house' is used as a figure of speech referring to vulnerability." From Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).