We must learn to obey orders before we are qualified to give them. Obedience is a necessary prerequisite to gaining the experience and knowledge needed to successfully lead or manage others. It emphasizes the importance of humility and teaches that true leadership involves serving and understanding those whom you lead.
It has the same meaning as: He that cannot obey cannot command.
The proverb is often attributed to the Greek philosopher Solon, but it has been adapted and expressed in different forms in various cultures and contexts around the world.
