Meaning:
[proverb] The people who are not directly participating in something can get
a wider, more objective view or understanding of it.
Examples:
- I know that lookers-on see most of the game, which is why I find going to
therapy so valuable. My therapist picks up on the stuff that I can't see
because I'm too close to the situation.
- The point of bringing in an outside consultant is to have someone impartial
assess the progress of our business. Lookers-on see most of the game, after
all.
https://www.thefreedictionary.com [edited]
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The Chinese proverb 旁观者清 is more succinct. I'm happy to learn the same
concept in English.
Every time I try to play lookers-on and look back on my own life, I couldn't
help feeling thankful--I was born in the 70s on the edge of the North China
Plain, one might say the right time and right place, both parents came from
peasant families, and the die was cast.
