Phrase guide

if you want a thing done well, do it yourself

proverb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

proverb

Meaning 1

It is better to do something oneself than to rely on others to do it well.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 求人不如求己 (qiúrén bùrú qiújǐ) — better to do something oneself
  • Finnish: kun itse tekee, tietää mitä saa — better to do something oneself
  • French: on n'est jamais mieux servi que par soi-même — better to do something oneself
  • Norwegian: vil du ha noe gjort, gjør det selv — better to do something oneself
  • Russian: если хочешь сделать что-то хорошо, сделай это сам. (jesli xočešʹ sdelatʹ što-to xorošo, sdelaj eto sam.) — better to do something oneself