Źdźbło w oku bliźniego widzisz, a belki w swoim nie dostrzegasz
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What it means
“You see a speck in your neighbour’s eye, but you don’t notice the beam in your own.” A call to self-reflection before judging others — we are quick to spot small faults in others while blind to our own large ones.
English equivalent
The pot calling the kettle black.
Vocabulary
- źdźbło — blade of grass, speck, mote
- oko — eye
- bliźni — neighbour, fellow man
- belka — beam, plank
- dostrzegać — to notice, to perceive
Grammar note
'W oku' and 'w swoim' use the locative case. 'Bliźniego' is the genitive of 'bliźni'. The contrast is marked by 'a' (but/while).
Cultural context
Derived from the Gospel of Matthew (7:3–5), widely known in Polish Catholic culture.
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