Home › Glossary › Letter L

Live and let live

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Live and let live advocates tolerance and respect for others' choices; in ethical or social poetry, it promotes coexistence, pluralism, and non-interference, countering judgment, conformity, or oppressive norms.

Detailed Definition
Live and let live means to accept others’ differences and allow them freedom, provided they do not harm others. In poetry, the idiom can support themes of tolerance, coexistence, peace, privacy, and moral restraint. It may appear in poems about community, religion, sexuality, class, neighbourliness, or political pluralism. The phrase sounds simple, but poets can test its limits when values clash. It is useful for exploring the ethics of non-interference, compassion, and the difficulty of sharing a world.
Example
Example in poetry:
A pastoral poem might praise a village where neighbours live and let live despite different songs and customs; In satire, the phrase live and let live can challenge meddling moralists; The phrase means to tolerate others and allow difference; A poet can use it for peace, freedom, and mutual respect.
Additional Notes
Live and let live expresses tolerance of others’ choices, habits, and beliefs. In poetry, it can support themes of pluralism, neighbourliness, peace, ageing wisdom, or resistance to moral policing. The phrase is simple and balanced, using repetition to embody reciprocity. Students should also question its limits: tolerance may be noble, but poems may ask what happens when another person’s freedom causes harm.
Also Known As
To each his own
Skip to main content