"Mind your own business" is a common English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 saying which asks for a respect of other people's privacy. It can mean that a person should stop meddling in what does not concern that person, attend personal affairs of others instead of your own, etc.

Origin

Few modern theologians believe that the phrase "Mind your own business" is a biblical derivation. St.Paul mentions to the church of Thessnolika about this manner of living in his instructions as a way of Christian life (I Thessalonians 4:11)

20th century

In the 1930s, a slang

Slang

Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...

 version rendered the saying as "Mind your own beeswax

Beeswax

Beeswax is a natural wax produced in the bee hive of honey bees of the genus Apis. It is mainly esters of fatty acids and various long chain alcohols...

". It is meant to soften the force of the retort. Folk etymology has it that this idiom was used in the colonial period when women would sit by the fireplace making wax candles together, though there are many other theories.

In the classic science fiction story ...And Then There Were None, Eric Frank Russell

Eric Frank Russell

Eric Frank Russell was a British author best known for his science fiction novels and short stories. Much of his work was first published in the United States, in John W. Campbell's Astounding Science Fiction and other pulp magazines. Russell also wrote horror fiction for Weird Tales, and...

 shortened "Mind Your Own Business" to "MYOB" or "Myob!", which was used as a form of civil disobedience

Civil disobedience

Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...

 on the planet of the libertarian Gands. Russell's short story, ...And Then There Were None, was subsequently incorporated into his 1962 novel The Great Explosion

The Great Explosion

The Great Explosion is a satirical science fiction novel by Eric Frank Russell, first published in 1962. The story is divided into three sections...

. It is possible that Russell is the inventor of this initialism, which is now used widely throughout the United States.

See also

• A wigwam for a goose's bridle
  A wigwam for a goose's bridle
  A wigwam for a goose's bridle is a phrase, once popular in Australia, meaning "none of your business". A common usage is in response to an inquiry such as Q. "What are you making?", A. "A wigwam for a goose's bridle"...
  
  
• M.Y.O.B. (TV series)
• MYOB (disambiguation)

External links

• Idiomsite.com, Origins of common sayings - Beeswax
• Abelard.org, And Then There Were None (relevant excerpt of The Great Explosion)