Word.ws English Dictionary

do as I say and not as I do

do as I say and not as I do proverb: do not imitate my behavior but obey my instructions.

Proverb

do as I say and not as I do

  1. Do not imitate my behavior but obey my instructions.
    • Do what I say now, not what I do
      The dilettantish peekaboo2006, J. G. Thirlwell, “Sieve”, in Damp, performed by Foetus

Forms of do as I say and not as I do

alternative formdo what I say, not what I do

Origin of do as I say and not as I do

This simplified order first appeared in John Selden's Table-Talk (c. 1654): "Preachers say, 'Do as I say, not as I do.'" The original parsing is found in the New Testament (Matthew 23:1-3; King James Version): “Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.”

Questions about do as I say and not as I do

What does do as I say and not as I do mean?
Do as I say and not as I do means do not imitate my behavior but obey my instructions.
What part of speech is do as I say and not as I do?
Do as I say and not as I do is a proverb.

Words near do as I say and not as I do in the dictionary

  1. do a perish
  2. do a power of good
  3. do a Reggie Perrin
  4. do a runner
  5. do a slow burn
  6. do as I say and not as I do
  7. do as I say, not as I do
  8. do away with
  9. do battle
  10. do bears shit in the woods
  11. do bird

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: do as I say and not as I do (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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