What are your thoughts about this saying?

I think it’s very true. To put it another way I think we often create people in our own image especially those we don’t know very well. It’s also true of religions and nationalities and other groups.

I know people who take great care of themselves and still treat others like shit.

I also know people who treat themselves terribly but are very kind to others. I have a good friend who is this way with her children. She bends over backwards to help them, but she denies herself much basic self-care.

I know people who are horrid in an almost sociopathic way, and yet they think they’re the shit.

Its an overused generalization. It doesn’t mean anything. Its just used to sound cool.

It’s a slogan, designed to influence the behavior of the masses.

Well, you answered you own question, Jakey boy. Sometimes people project, and sometimes they accurately and with justification describe another person’s behaviour. The world is not black and white.

People who treat themselves well don’t necessarily like themselves.

I treat others with kindness and respect. The only time I am hurtful is when I or someone I know has been treated unfairly.

A quote from the Ben Kingsley Gandhi movie comes to mind, but I can’t recall its phrasing enough to find it (to know if it’s attributed to the movie or to Gandhi himself)... but in essence the quote means, “I recognize that I’m not perfect, so I’ll give you the space to make mistakes as well”... Which is my round about way of saying, maybe the “reflection” is of one’s humility? ... Just a late(ish) might thought that occurred to me. Maybe it’ll seem less relevant to me tomorrow, idk.

I still can’t spell “occurred” without spell check, gah! Always get the wrong number of c’s and/or r’s.

All I know is that such saying is not infallible, even though it might not be fallacious. Each person react differently toward different person and in different situation so a generalization should not be applied.

Like a lot of other (equally over-used) clichés, it’s more a statement of hope and faith than it is of reality:

“All things happen for a reason.”
“He’s in a better place now.”
“God has certainly blessed you.”

While those statements may be expressions of a religious faith – and completely unknowable by anyone living – the example you gave is of a different kind of faith: the idea that we can actually know how other people think.

At least your statement is demonstrably incorrect, because in my own case, while I try to be deliberate and thoughtful about most of the things that I do and believe – I try to form opinions about things based on some reflection – even I don’t know how I think about everything or everyone. And I’m not nearly so narcissistic as to spend much time ‘thinking about’ myself. If you asked me how I thought about myself then you’d probably have to endure some kind of stream of consciousness BS, changing from minute to minute, full of contradictions and clarifications as I actually did start to “think about myself”, until you finally asked me to stop talking. Which would be a great relief to both of us.

We might think that we can tell what another person’s thoughts are about themselves, but it’s a total fantasy, an article of faith that can never be proven.

Have not yet read the other answers, will do so after posting.

I don’t agree with it at all. There are plenty of people who are complete narcissists (or sociopaths) who absolutely adore themselves, and think they are extremely smart and wonderful, who treat other people like crap. I think it’s because it’s easier to treat people like crap, and if they can get away with it, why not?

Then there are other people who are kind, and smart, and compassionate, that treat people politely (as much as they can) but who take people as they come, and treat them accordingly. They might be kind, or curt, or they might avoid them at all costs. It depends upon how the person seems to them, and they treat them accordingly.

Then there are people, who are naive, and either think everybody is good, and they treat them accordingly, or they think everybody is bad, and treat them accordingly.

I don’t think people treat people a certain way, because of how they feel about themselves. They treat people in accordance of how they feel or perceive the other person to be. Even if their feelings, or perceptions are not accurate.

I’m with @Espiritus_Corvus and @Kardamom. Liking oneself does not mean you cannot dislike others dependent on how they show up. It’s okay to dislike others, nothing wrong with preferences and preferences have no bearing on a persons self esteem.

Very interesting. I think it’s true too.
You know if someone accuses others of lying the accuser is probably a liar.

You mean like Trump? :-)

Perfect example.

@Dutchess_III Sometimes yes, but it is also possible to know someone is lying and so the accusations are spot on. haha
A self aware person does very little projecting, it is the unaware that often and unconsciously project their denied emotions, behaviors, onto others.

That’s why I specified ‘ithers’ as in a generalized plural. Accusing 1.person of lying, with good reason, that’s not the same thing.
About 8 years into our marriage my ex started accusing me of going out on him. It was ludicrous.
Of course HE was the one fooling around.

I think the saying is a good starting point for thought, reflection, conversation and philosophy. I think it can seem to prove true or not depending on perspective, like most things.

For instance, the counterpoints about narcissists and sociopaths seem like valid counterpoints, but another perspective is that those people can also usually be said to have extremely low opinions of themselves at certain levels and from certain perspectives.

So, I think it’s a useful perspective to try on and consider and discuss, but not so much to try to prove it entirely true or false.

The truest truism I can think of at the moment is that all truisms seem true for some things but are quite false for many others. Truisms can be used as starting points for useful insights and discussions, but tend to backfire if mistaken for absolute truths.

@Zaku Right as there are no absolute truths other than death and taxes. LOL

I think it’s bull for the most part. Sometimes it can be true, but that has more to do with expecting from others what you would do under the same circumstances.
Give you an example. I believe I have pretty good self esteem and it annoys me to see people think less of themselves when it’s not warranted. But they create a self fulfilling prophesy where people will treat them as they see themselves. Not all of those people who treat them like crap will do it because they think less of themselves. Some will do it because they don’t have the desire to coddle a grown person and figures that confidence doesn’t come from other people. (That’s usually me unless I really admire the person). But in some cases they will treat them like crap because they want someone to feel worse than they do, and in some cases people will be nice because it makes them feel badly for the person. Empathy and ego and knowledge will play different roles. It really depends on the which part rules. The heart, the head, or the ego.

@Coloma you can get out of paying taxes though. I like Morgan Freeman’s comment in Lean On Me. “I don’t have to do nothin’ but stay black and die!”