example is better than precept

example is better than precept

proverb One's actions can teach more effectively than a lecture. If your students seem bored, keep in mind that example is better than precept. Of course your kids won't listen if you always just try to tell them what to do. Example is better than precept, after all. The saying "Do as I say, not as I do" irritates me so much. Anyone who preaches that clearly doesn't realize that example is better than precept.

See also: better, example

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

Example is better than precept.

Prov. You will teach people more effectively by being a good example than you will by telling them what to do. Mother never lectured us; she just tried her best to be a good person, and we tried hard to be like her. She was living proof that example is better than precept.

See also: better, example

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.