The Pot Calling The Kettle Black ( to say something about someone else which is actually true of you yourself ... )

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third
Edition. 2002.

pot calling the
kettle black

Criticizing others for the very fault one
possesses.

Story of the Kettle

By Christine

When the pot called the kettle black, the kettle was somewhat offended. Until he thought deep and hard about the issue. "How could the pot call me black," he asked. "The pot is even blacker than me!"

The kettle marched right up to the pot and shouted "Hey you skinny-armed, pot belly piece of tin! How come you called me black!"

The pot, who hates confrontation, was quite put off by this. What was that good-for-nothing kettle doing yelling at me? That kettle is sooo judgemental How could he be the way he is. I am so much better than him. I would never be like that.

So, he yelled back "Hey kettle, you are so judgemental. I would never be that way. You should be like me."

The kettle looked sympathetically at the pot then, suddenly deeply sadden that the pot couldn't see it's own shoot and dirt. He came to realize that the pot was so busy scrutinizing and judging everyone else he couldn't see that he was just as black as the kettle. As black as anyone....

Pot calling the kettle black
from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The phrase "Pot calling the kettle black" is an idiom, used to accuse another speaker of hypocrisy, in that the speaker disparages the subject in a way that could equally be applied to him or her. In former times cast iron pots and kettles were quickly blackened from the soot of the fire. If personified into animate objects, the pot would then be hypocritical to insult the kettle's colour. The phrase "It takes one to know one" has a similar meaning. Chinese philosopher Mencius relates a similar story about a soldier laughing at another soldier retreating 100 steps, while retreating 50 steps himself.[1] There's a similar idiom in Turkish; "Tencere dibin kara