There are phrases that land like a slap and others that arrive like a long-overdue intervention. “Get over yourself” belongs to both categories, depending on who is saying it, why and when.

It is rarely spoken gently. “Get over yourself” carries impatience and, at times, contempt, usually delivered when someone believes another person has made the world revolve too tightly around their own sense of importance. Used carelessly, the phrase can shut down legitimate pain and trivialize serious experiences. In that form, it is not wisdom but cruelty dressed up as toughness.

But there is another side to the phrase, one that makes people bristle precisely because it contains an uncomfortable truth.

That truth becomes especially relevant in public life.

In small towns and counties, local government officials sometimes react angrily when a newspaper reports facts they would rather not see in print. Instead of addressing the substance of the reporting, the response can be personal offense simply because the coverage was not flattering.

At that moment, the problem is not the newspaper. It is perspective.

Public office is an invitation to scrutiny. When officials treat critical coverage as a personal attack rather than as part of the job, they are centering ego instead of the public they serve.

“Get over yourself” in this context is a reminder of proportion. It says that holding office means accepting accountability, that public decisions invite public questions and that disagreement is not disrespect.

Sulking and “revenge,” such as withholding information from local media while inviting outside media, do nothing to resolve the underlying issue that prompted the coverage in the first place.

We live in an age that rewards self-focus. Outrage is louder than reflection and offense is often mistaken for righteousness. That culture seeps into local government, where officials sometimes forget that a request for information and transparency is not the same as hostility and a news report does not make one a victim.

Communities cannot function when leaders refuse to hear anything they do not like. Progress requires the ability to absorb criticism, separate personal feelings from public responsibility and respond with facts rather than fury.

That does not mean criticism should be careless or cruel, but it does mean it is unavoidable.

But timing still matters. Used carelessly, the phrase can wound. Directed at influential people who resist scrutiny, it serves a great purpose.

Perhaps the phrase works best when applied inward. Before getting mad about a headline or a story, ask yourself: Is this about accuracy or ego? Is the response serving the public or protecting personal pride?

“Get over yourself” is blunt, imperfect and often impolite. But beneath the rough edges is a reminder that local leaders and the rest of us would do well to remember. Public service is not about being comfortable, admired or spared criticism. It is about serving something larger than oneself.

Get over yourself.