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Why do we say "Every Man For Himself"?

Well-Known Expressions

Every Man For Himself

Meaning:

Don't expect help from others - look after yourself first.

Background:

This proverb appears in Chaucer's Knight's Tale, published in about 1386. In 1546 a book of proverbs by John Heywood listed an expanded version of this expression - 'Every man for himself and God for us all'.

More expressions and their source

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