“To err is human; to forgive, divine.”

THE FAMOUS POETRY QUOTE: “To err is human; to forgive, divine.”        Alexander Pope (1688-1744)        English poet        An Essay on Criticism, Part II (written in 1709, first published in 1711)        This first major work by Pope presents his thoughts on critics, writers and poetry. He called it an “essay” but it’s actually a poem, written in the rhyming heroic couplet format. “To err is human; to forgive, divine” is one of three well-known quotes from the poem. The others are “a little learning is a dangerous thing” and “fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” Pope didn’t coin the phrase “to err is human.” That’s the traditional English translation of the ancient Latin proverb “Errare humanum est.” However, by adding “to forgive, divine” to this old saying, he created a famous quotation that is still commonly used, adapted and spoofed today.         The basic meaning of Pope’s line is that any human can make a mistake, so we should try to forgive them, just as God is said to show divine mercy and forgive sinners. When An Essay on Criticism was published in 1711, the English spelling of the word human was humane and it was common to capitalize the first letter of many words. Thus, in its original form, Pope’s line about erring humans was: “To err is Humane; to Forgive, Divine.”

THE ETHICALLY-CHALLENGED LAWYER’S COUNTERQUOTE: “To err is human, but to get even? THAT is divine.”        Actor James Spader as lawyer Alan Shore        In the “Equal Justice” episode of the TV series The Practice, first aired December 7, 2003

THE MISATTRIBUTED COMPUTER QUOTE: “To err is human; to really foul things up requires a computer.”        Typically attributed to American biologist Paul R. Ehrlich        Although Ehrlich is often credited with this quotation, it’s attributed without any specific source and he may not have said it. A recent post on the excellent Quote Investigator site noted that the earliest documented use of this line was by Virginia newspaper columnist Bill Vaughan in 1969.

THE BERKELEY CITY COUNCIL VARIATION: “To err is human but to really screw up it takes the Berkeley City Council.”        Gordon Wozniak        Berkeley City Council member        Comment on the controversy over a resolution calling for the Berkeley City Council to send a letter to the U.S. Marines saying that Marine recruiters were “unwelcome intruders” in the city. Quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle, February 14, 2008.

THE DOG LOVER’S VERSION: “To err is human; to forgive, canine.”        Anonymous        An old (and poignantly true) quote dating back to at least the mid-1800s

THE PLANET LOVER’S VERSION: “When it comes to the scope of environmental threat, to err may be human, but to repeat the error is criminal, and to make a profit out of it is obscene.”        Fred H. Knelman        Professor of Science and Human Affairs at Concordia University in Montreal        In his book Every Life Is A Story (1999)

PROCHNOW’S PRINCIPLE: “To err may be human, but to admit it isn’t.”        Herbert V. Prochnow (1897-1998)        U.S. bank executive, toastmaster and author        In his book 1001 Ways to Improve Your Conversation & Speeches (1952)

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