He is a good PHYSICIAN who cures himself

Meaning & Analysis

A physician who is able to cure his own ailments demonstrates genuine skill and competence in his craft.

Insights

Self-Mastery

This proverb symbolizes the value of self-knowledge and self-regulation. True expertise is shown not only in advising or healing others, but in one's ability to apply wisdom and discipline to oneself.

Integrity and Authenticity

Metaphorically, it suggests that those who guide or treat others should also embody the practices and principles they recommend, embodying congruence between theory and action.

Personal Responsibility

The proverb emphasizes personal responsibility, highlighting that true ability is demonstrated by addressing one's own weaknesses, rather than relying solely on external solutions.

Historical Symbolism

Since antiquity, the physician has been a symbol of wisdom and remedy, yet also of human fallibility. The proverb subtly alludes to ancient suspicions of hypocrisy in those who heal others but neglect themselves.

Cultural and Literary Parallels

Closely related to the biblical adage 'Physician, heal thyself,' the proverb appears in various cultures as a call for introspection and humility among the learned and powerful, reinforcing the universal expectation of practicing what one preaches.

Psychological Dimension

Implicitly, the saying recognizes the difficulty of self-application: while it is often easier to identify or treat others' faults, personal blind spots and resistance complicate self-cure. The proverb hints at the psychological courage needed for honest self-examination.

Rhetorical Devices

Paradox

The expectation that a healer, typically associated with caring for others, should first or most effectively heal himself introduces an instructive paradox that captures attention.

Ellipsis

The proverb omits details about the illness or cure, making its application broad and adaptable to many fields beyond medicine, thus enhancing its universal resonance.

Synecdoche

The 'physician' serves as a synecdoche for any figure of authority or expertise, extending the proverb’s lesson to teachers, leaders, and advisors in general.

self-masteryauthenticityintrospectionintegritypersonalresponsibilitywisdom

Analyzed with gpt-4.1 on July 10, 2025

Transcription

Quotations

(that can heale his owne infirmitie).

— 1611, COT., s.v. Bon

— 1666, TOR., It. Prov., 10, p. 148

Cross References

P267 Physician, heal thyself.

Related Proverbs

P464 All our POMP the earth covers 96.1%L400 A white LOAF and a hard cheese never shame the master 96.0%P272 Who pays the PHYSICIAN does the cure 96.0%A27 Our own ACTIONS are our security, not others' judgments 96.0%D413 He that DOES well wearies not himself 95.9%P258 He that lives by PHYSIC lives miserably 95.9%A315 The sore ARM must have the scarf, the sore leg the bed 95.8%Y9 He that lives not well one YEAR sorrows for it seven 95.8%P264 Honor a PHYSICIAN before thou hast need of him 95.7%C679 COUNSEL breaks not the head 95.7%K42 It comes by KIND,¹ it cost him nothing 95.6%P131 A good PAYMASTER needs no surety 95.6%F12 An ingenuous FACE is a good letter of recommendation 95.6%P452 Poor POETS' heads are ever full of bees 95.6%F372 To break a FLINT (blade) on a feather bed 95.5%F715 An old FRIEND is a new house 95.5%E118 The END of our good begins our evil 95.4%N266 He that has NOTHING is not contented 95.4%A15 There is no ACCORD where every man would be a lord 95.4%I44 No one (No man) is tied to IMPOSSIBILITIES 95.4%

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