The Meaning of “Walk a Mile in Someone’s Shoes”
Have you ever heard the expression ‘to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes’? Perhaps someone has told you to ‘put yourself in their shoes’. Did you understand why they said that?
What it means to walk a mile in someone’s shoes
The saying ‘to walk a mile in someone’s shoes’ is very common in English. It tries to teach a simple lesson: before you judge another person, try to understand their situation – in other words, walk in their shoes. So, you should try to imagine that you were in the same situation so you can really understand their feelings and why they do the things that they do. Another word for this is ‘empathy’.
There are many ways to use this phrase. Here are some examples:
- Why is the new student so quiet? They’re not being very friendly. Don’t say that! Put yourself in their shoes. They don’t speak English well, they just left their family and friends, and they’re probably jet-lagged. Let’s just go and say hello.
- If you think my life is easy, you should walk a mile in my shoes! Then you’ll really understand how much work I have to do.
- I don’t understand why my mother complains about my room so much. It’s not her business! Put yourself in her shoes. She’s just trying to teach you good habits. I’m sure you’ll thank her someday!
