"People tend to be wrong": the origin and meaning of the aphorism

We all heard a fairly well-known expression: "People tend to be wrong." It is difficult to disagree with him, because there is no person on Earth who has never made a mistake in his life. Where does this expression come from, who is its author? The origins of the origin of this aphorism go back to the distant past. Let's try to understand the history of the emergence of this phrase and its meaning.

Origin of the aphorism

It is not possible to establish the concrete author of this dictum. This expression has been actively used since the ancient times. The Greek poet Theognis, who lived and worked for 500 years BC. E., Expressed an idea, which is the prototype of this expression. In his opinion, if you get angry at every mistake made by friends, it will be impossible to maintain warm friendships with anyone. And all because "mistakes between mortals are inevitable." Later similar expression was repeated in various variants. The Greek playwright Euripides said this: "It is common for all people to be mistaken." And the Greek orator Demosthenes argued that only gods are capable of making mistakes. Mark Anney Seneca - the Roman rhetorician - also pronounced this phrase, which sounded like this: "It's human to err." This is the most common wording.

The phrase "man is prone to be mistaken" in Latin

Practically in all countries of the world it is customary to use some winged expressions in Latin . Latin words and phrases have become firmly established in our country. Some expressions are so firmly entrenched in our speech that at times we even do not think about where they were borrowed from. For example, very often used such phrases: persona non grata (undesirable person), carpe diem (catch the moment) and others.

How will the phrase "a person tend to be wrong" sound in Latin? In Latin, the saying is pronounced as follows: Errare humanum est. Knowing how a common expression sounds in a given language, you can express yourself more genuinely, demonstrating to your surroundings your erudition. The expression "a person is prone to be mistaken" in Latin from your mouth will sound more weighty than in your native language.

The meaning of the aphorism

What is the meaning of the expression "a person is prone to make mistakes"? Who said that people are sinless? By no means, all of us sooner or later we make some mistakes in our lives that can be both small and minor, and sometimes fatal.

Given this fact, you need to be tolerant of other people's mistakes. The saying teaches us tolerance and condescension to other people's mistakes, because we too will sooner or later find ourselves in the place of the stumbled. If we do not forgive other people's faults, we will never be able to build close relationships with friends or relatives. And in the end we ourselves will be unhappy. The ability to forgive is a great gift.

But not all, unfortunately, they have. Broken ties, broken families, lost friendship is the result of inability to justify the human weaknesses of others in their eyes. It is peculiar to a man, unfortunately, to easily find an excuse for himself, and it is very difficult - to the misdeeds of others.

In which cases does the phrase "people tend to err"

This aphorism is pronounced in those cases when it is necessary to explain the reason for any error of this or that person. However, it often happens that people hide behind this phrase, writing off their reluctance or inability to believe that we are all without sin. Of course, everyone has the right to make a mistake, however, if a person does not strive in good faith to fulfill their duties - in work or in any other field of life, this phrase does not justify. You can not blame everything on your imperfection and go with the flow, without making any effort to progress, develop and change for the better.

Yes, indeed, each person is prone to make mistakes, but it is always necessary to strive to ensure that these errors in life are as small as possible.

Similar proverbial meanings

In addition to the aphorism "people tend to make mistakes", there are many other similar in meaning clichés. For example: "I am a man, and nothing human is alien to me." Or: "You can not assail yourself for every hour of your mind." All of them have about the same essence.

Mark Cicero supplemented the phrase about the property of a man to make mistakes, and in his interpretation it reads: "It is human to err, and a fool to insist on his mistake." By this he meant to say that only clever people are able to acknowledge their mistakes and correct them as far as possible. Fools will persist and consider themselves right, no matter what. Accordingly, without acknowledging their mistakes, such people will perform them again and again.

Conclusion

Every person is mistaken - and this is a fact. It's not so terrible to make a mistake, how not to realize it. Anyone who works on himself, and does not consider other people's sins, is able to achieve much in life. Conversely, people who justify their failures by the fact that someone has more of them, are unlikely to be successful and successful. At the same time, one must be tolerant of the shortcomings of others. If people do not do bad things consciously, but only because of their imprudence - they should not be judged too strictly. Ideal people do not exist - we all can sooner or later stumble. The main thing is to understand in time what is the reason for our failures, to draw the right conclusions and "to work on the mistakes". Only in this case our mistakes will serve us well - they will provide invaluable experience that will help to achieve success in life.