you can't pour from an empty cup

proverb

In order to be able to provide other people with emotional support, one must take care of one's own mental health.

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Meanings

proverb
  1. In order to be able to provide other people with emotional support, one must take care of one's own mental health.
    1 more example

    This view is shared widely across the industry, including by London-based yoga teacher Kat Achtelik, who participated in several NGO-led projects in Asia before moving to the UK. For her, practicing yoga and meditation comes down to self-love: “You cannot pour from an empty cup. You have to take care of yourself first, before catering for others.”

    2017 September 18, Camille Darroux, “How yoga and meditation can help social care workers deal with trauma”, in The Guardian
Cite this entry
APA

you can't pour from an empty cup. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/you%20can't%20pour%20from%20an%20empty%20cup

MLA

“you can't pour from an empty cup.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/you%20can't%20pour%20from%20an%20empty%20cup. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “you can't pour from an empty cup,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/you%20can't%20pour%20from%20an%20empty%20cup.

Source: you can't pour from an empty cup on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.