Every Man for Himself

See also the later expanded forms in the next two proverbs.

At the kynges court, my brother, Ech man for hymself, ther is noon oother.
[c 1386 Chaucer Knight's Tale l. 1182]

Your moder‥hath made her wyll, the wyche ye shall understond more when I com, for ther is every man for hym selff.
[1478 J. Whetley Letter 20 May in Paston Letters (1976) ii. 427]

Every man for himself (quoth the Merteine).
[1678 J. Ray English Proverbs (ed. 2) (Scottish) 366]

The old adage might well be applied in many cases. Every man for himself.
[1795 D. Yancey Letter 6 June in Virginia Magazine of Hist. & Biography (1922) XXX. 224]

It was pretty much every man for himself. But I was hit quite early on.
[1974 A. Price Other Paths to Glory ii. vi.]

Related to: self-preservation

Bibliography of major proverb collections and works cited from modern editions is available here.

Each individual puts his or her own interests foremost. For example, In this company no one helps anyone--it's every man for himself. In Chaucer's day this dictum was stated approvingly, meaning "if you don't look out for yourself, no one else will," but today such selfishness is usually censured. Despite the wording, the term applies to either sex.

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Every Man for Himself can refer to:

• "Every Man for Himself" (Lost), an episode of the TV series Lost.
• Every Man for Himself (album), an album by Hoobastank.
• Sauve qui peut (la vie), a film directed by Jean-Luc Godard, titled Every Man for Himself in the USA.
• Every Man For Himself (film), a 1924 film
• Every Man for Himself (novel), a 1996 novel by notable British author Beryl Bainbridge.
• Every Man for Himself, was a hardcore punk band from the Inland Empire who later found Christ and went on to form The Great Commission.
• Every Man for Himself, a song by Big Black of the various artists album, Gods Favorite Dog, released by Touch and Go Records.

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