To err is human, to forgive divine

Cultural  

1. All people commit sins and make mistakes. God forgives them, and people are acting in a godlike (divine) way when they forgive. This saying is from “An Essay on Criticism,” by Alexander Pope.

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Example Sentences

"To err is human to forgive divine," Salim Khan said Tuesday on Twitter.

From US News • Jun. 22, 2016

K. K., Chicago You know the old expression: To err is human; to forgive divine — and to forge quite lucrative.

From New York Times • Jun. 10, 2010

The corollary of "To err is human, to forgive divine" is that to forgive is not human, not entirely so.

From Time Magazine Archive

Good-nature and good-sense must ever join; To err is human, to forgive, divine.

From The Rape of the Lock and Other Poems by Pope, Alexander

Pope tells us, for example, that "To err is human; to forgive, divine"; and also that "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."

From Elementary Guide to Literary Criticism by Painter, F. V. N. (Franklin Verzelius Newton)