Proximus sum egomet mihi
“I am nearest to myself.”
Terence, Andria 636
What does “Proximus sum egomet mihi” mean?
Proximus sum egomet mihi translates as “I am nearest to myself.”
Everyone looks after themselves first. It is the Latin form of charity begins at home.
“Proximus sum egomet mihi” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Proximus | nearest, closest | nominative singular masculine of the superlative adjective proximus, “nearest” (from prope, “near”); agrees with the speaker, who is male |
| sum | I am | first person singular present indicative of sum, esse, “to be” |
| egomet | I myself | ego, “I”, strengthened by the suffix -met; the subject, nominative singular |
| mihi | to myself | dative singular of ego, “I”; with proximus it means “nearest to me” |
How to pronounce “Proximus sum egomet mihi”
The differences are in proximus (classical x as ks, church the same, but the i vowel is shorter in Classical) and in mihi: Classical gives MIH-hee with a breathed h, while Ecclesiastical has MEE-kee, or simply MEE-ee. Stress falls on the first syllable of proximus, egomet and mihi.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “nearest am I myself to myself”. The speaker is saying that he is closer to himself than to anyone else, so his own interests come first. It is the Latin counterpart of “charity begins at home”.
It comes from Terence’s comedy Andria (“The Girl from Andros”), first staged in 166 BC. Terence adapted Greek New Comedy for Roman audiences, and his plays are full of short, quotable observations on everyday human behaviour.
In the play the line is a character’s frank admission that he looks after his own interests first. Later writers and readers took it out of its scene and used it as a general saying about self-interest.
How to use “Proximus sum egomet mihi”
It suits a dry caption about looking after yourself first, a note to a friend about self-care, or an essay on self-interest and ethics. As a tattoo or motto it reads as blunt honesty rather than selfishness, so choose it only if that tone fits.
- Latin
- Proximus sum egomet mihi
- English
- I am nearest to myself.
- Source
- Terence, Andria 636
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Self
Common mistakes
- Do not read proximus as “next” in the sense of a neighbour: here it means “closest” in the sense of “most closely connected”.
- The ending -us is masculine. A woman speaking about herself would say proxima sum ipsa mihi, which changes the original wording.
- The suffix -met is part of egomet, not a separate word. Writing ego met is a misspelling.
- It does not mean “I am the best”. It is about whose interests come first, not about superiority.
Questions about “Proximus sum egomet mihi”
What does “Proximus sum egomet mihi” mean literally?
“I myself am nearest to myself.” It means that each person is closest to their own interests and so looks after them first.
Who said “Proximus sum egomet mihi”?
It is a line from the Roman comic playwright Terence, in his play Andria, around line 636.
How do you pronounce “Proximus sum egomet mihi”?
In Classical Latin: PROK-sih-moos soom EH-goh-met MIH-hee. In Church Latin the last word becomes MEE-kee.
Is “Proximus sum egomet mihi” correct Latin for a tattoo?
Yes, it is genuine Latin from a classical author. It is spoken by a male character, so the masculine proximus is original; keep it as written rather than altering the ending.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
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