Literary notes about err (AI summary)
Throughout centuries of literature, the term "err" has been employed to capture the fallible nature of human judgment and action. It often appears in philosophical discourses, highlighting that even the wise may misinterpret concepts of good and evil or misjudge complex ideas of truth [1, 2]. Authors use it to express personal confession of fault or as a moral correction, as seen when characters acknowledge their own imperfections [3, 4]. In religious contexts, its usage serves as both a caution against misunderstanding divine law and a gentle reminder of human imperfection [5, 6]. Poets and dramatists alike have woven the word into their work to articulate a melancholic awareness that error is an inevitable part of life, reinforcing the timeless adage that "to err is human" [7, 8].
- Yes, but do not persons often err about good and evil: many who are not good seem to be so, and conversely?
— from The Republic of Plato by Plato - Men may err on comparing Present and Future.
— from An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume 1 by John Locke - "And I too am faultless, I suppose—I have ordered my life too regularly ever to err?"
— from Fathers and Sons by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev - Sir, I must, blushing, say to you, I have err'd; And plead your pardon.
— from Volpone; Or, The Fox by Ben Jonson - And Jesus answering, said to them: You err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - Why hast thou made us to err, O Lord, from thy ways: why hast thou hardened our heart, that we should not fear thee?
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - In things right true my heart and eyes have err'd, And to this false plague are they now transferr'd.
— from Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Shakespeare - 2 “Errare humanum est”: “To err is human.”
— from The Social Cancer: A Complete English Version of Noli Me Tangere by José Rizal
