Context

This line is from the song "Man in the Mirror," sung by Michael Jackson and written by Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard, from the album Bad (1988).

"Man in the Mirror" was a bit of a departure for Michael Jackson. For starters, it was released with a music video that didn't feature the King of Pop. Don't let that fool you, though—the song is all about MJ. Specifically, all the ways that he can change the world if only he just tries a little.

Basically, the singer looks around and sees all the suffering in the world and realizes that he hasn't done much about it. So, what can he do? Complain about it? Blame other people? Nope. He's gonna start by looking at the man in the mirror—himself. That's the first guy who can start to make a real change. The message of the song is simple—if you want to make a difference in the world, why not start with yourself?

Hey, we can't argue with him on that.

Where you've heard it

The phrase "you'd better look at the man in the mirror" basically means the same thing that Michael Jackson is referring to in this song. You've gotta take a hard look at yourself before you start going around blaming other folks for your troubles.

Additional Notable References:

• This song was featured in the 2012 film Joyful Noise.
• Glee did it, too.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

If you're starting with the man (or woman) in the mirror, we applaud you. Nothing pretentious about that at all.