Pone te primus in pace, et tunc alios poteris pacificare.

First keep yourself in peace. Then you can bring peace to others.

Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ 2.3.1

What it means

You cannot give what you do not have. A calm person settles a room just by being in it. Tend your own peace before you try to fix anyone else's.

The source

"First keep yourself in peace. Then you can bring peace to others." Thomas à Kempis said it in The Imitation of Christ 2.3.1. Translated by William Benham, 1874.

"First keep thyself in peace, and then shalt thou be able to be a peacemaker towards others."

William Benham, 1874, The Imitation of Christ 2.3.1. Text read at gutenberg.org.

Who said it

Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380–1471). Augustinian canon in the Netherlands, generally credited with The Imitation of Christ, one of the most widely read Christian books ever written.

Questions

What does "First keep yourself in peace. Then you can bring peace to others." mean?: You cannot give what you do not have. A calm person settles a room just by being in it. Tend your own peace before you try to fix anyone else's.
Who said "First keep yourself in peace. Then you can bring peace to others."?: Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380–1471). Source: The Imitation of Christ 2.3.1.
What is the original wording?: First keep thyself in peace, and then shalt thou be able to be a peacemaker towards others (William Benham, 1874). Translated by William Benham, 1874.
Is "First keep yourself in peace. Then you can bring peace to others." on a shirt?: Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

Cite this line

"First keep yourself in peace. Then you can bring peace to others." (Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ 2.3.1, trans. William Benham, 1874). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/first-keep-yourself-in-peace-then-you-can