Mind your own business
"Mind your own business" is a common English saying which asks for a respect of other people's privacy. It strongly suggests that a person should stop interfering in what does not affect themselves. Contextually, it is often used in an argument or dispute as a remark to refute, reject or discourage other peoples' concerns or comments. Its acronym is MYOB.
Origin
[edit]The Greek phrase πράσσειν τὰ ἴδια, appearing in St. Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, is usually translated as "mind your own business".[1][2]
The first coin that was minted and officially circulated by the United States, the Fugio Cent, displays the words “Mind Your Business” on the obverse. [3]
20th century
[edit]In the 1930s, a slang version rendered the saying as "Mind your own beeswax". It is meant to soften the force of the retort.[4] Folk etymology has it that this idiom was used in the colonial period when women would sit by the fireplace making wax candles together,[5] though there are many other theories.[6]
In the classic science fiction story "...And Then There Were None", author Eric Frank Russell shortened "Mind your own business" to "MYOB" or "Myob!", which was used as a form of civil disobedience on the planet of the libertarian Gands.[7] Russell's short story was subsequently incorporated into his 1962 novel The Great Explosion.
See also
[edit]- A wigwam for a goose's bridle
- Bodily integrity
- Fugio cent, a coin designed by Benjamin Franklin that bears the motto "Mind your business"
- Personal boundaries
References
[edit]- ^ "Bible Gateway passage: 1 Thessalonians 4:11 - New King James Version". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
- ^ "1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 NIV". biblegateway.com. Retrieved 2012-03-26.
- ^ "Fugio Cents - PCGS CoinFacts". PCGS. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
- ^ Palmatier, Robert Allen (1995). Speaking of Animals: A Dictionary of Animal Metaphors. Greenwood Press. pp. Google Books Search, p.23. ISBN 0-313-29490-9.
- ^ "mind your own beeswax". Theidioms.com. 2006-01-16.
- ^ "World Wide Words: Mind your beeswax". World Wide Words.
- ^ "'And Then There Were None' by Eric Frank Russell". www.abelard.org.
External links
[edit]- Theidioms.com, Origins of common sayings – Mind Your Own Beeswax
- Abelard.org, And Then There Were None (relevant excerpt of The Great Explosion)