6 Reasons Why “Mind Your Own Business” is the Greatest Advice Ever Given

Religion and pop culture are rife with sage advice to mind your own business. Consider the following quotes:

Take the plank out of your own eye so you can see clearly to remove the speck from someone else’s.

— Bible, Matthew 7:5

Most abominable in the sight of GOD
is that you say what you do not do.

— Quran, 61:2

I’m starting with the Man in the Mirror.

— Michael Jackson

Be the change your want to see in the world.

— Ghandi

Umma do me.

— Rocko

These mantras and missives have been ingrained in our collective psyche, bestowed by some of the greatest influencers humanity has ever known. So why do so few of us seem to live by them?

Tabloid and reality TV show tycoons have amassed fortunes from the business of, well, minding other people’s business. On the flipside, Instagram influencers build lucrative brands almost exclusively on recruiting people to mind their business, leveraging other’s fascination with their personal lives into paid partnerships and marketing clout.