“If you mind your own business, you`ll stay busy all the time.”
Hank Williams, Jr.
Though the Polish proverb ‘’Nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy translates as Not my circus, not my monkeys’’,it is difficult to find its English equivalent. The phrase itself has been used in such translation in the English language too, which supposes that it was borrowed from the Polish language.
In short, it could be translated as having the same meaning of “I mind my own business” or ‘’it’s none of my business’’, but in a broader sense, it’s usually used to enhance the fact that you are not the one to judge someone else’s actions, even when you don’t necessarily agree with them. As if the mess someone else has found himself in is not your mess to worry about and the people taking part in that mess are not the ones you can control.
Notable Quotes
“If I care to listen to every criticism, let alone act on them, then this shop may as well be closed for all other businesses. I have learned to do my best, and if the end result is good then I do not care for any criticism, but if the end result is not good, then even the praise of ten angels would not make the difference.”
Abraham Lincoln
“Let people do what they need to do to make them happy. Mind your own business, and do what you need to do to make you happy.”
Leon Brown
“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.”
Steve Jobs
“My life, my choices, my mistakes, my lessons- NOT YOUR BUSINESS.”
Wiz Khalifa
Biblical Verses
Matthew 7:1-5(NLT) “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Romans 2:1-3 (NLT) You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.
So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?
Additional Reading
People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys by Dr. Mike Bechtle
Things Beyond Our Control by Jesse Kellerman
Points of Reflection
“Keep your nose out of another’s mess.”
A proverb from Denmark
“Keep your breath to cool your porridge.”
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice