“Once is a mistake. Twice is a choice”

“Once is a mistake. Twice is a choice/decision/pattern” is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying is related to the proverb “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” By the second time or the third time, the activity is no longer a “mistake.” Some of the saying variations are credited to Brazilian novelist Paolo Coelho, although exact credit is uncertain.
   
“In my view, cheating once is a mistake; twice is a pattern and a problem” was printed in The Province (Vancouver, BC) on November 1, 1992. “Once might be a mistake; twice is a pattern” was printed in The State (Columbia, SC) on November 12, 1996. “Once is a mistake, twice is a pattern” was posted on the newsgroup rec.crafts.textiles.needlework on September 10, 1997. “Thought 4 the day:  Once is a mistake.  Twice is a pattern.  Three times is a habit.  And four times is an addiction” was posted on X/Twitter by Ken Kreiker on March 15, 2011.
   
“RT @travelkage ‘Once is a mistake, twice is a choice’” was posted on X/Twitter by Jako de Leon on April 15, 2012. “Never fall for the same thing twice. Once is a mistake. Twice is a choice” was posted on X/Twitter by Jess on March 26, 2013.
 
“Cheating is a choice not a decision and a mistake repeated more than once is a decision. Paulo Cohelo” was posted on Facebook by Antonio Miller on December 26, 2013. β€œAnd a mistake repeated more than once is a decision” was posted on X/Twitter by IAmBrianπŸ’« on July 10, 2014. “‘And a mistake repeated more than once is a decision.’β€” Paulo Coelho” was posted on Tumblr in July 2014, and this received over 377,000 notes.
 
“Once is a mistake. Twice is a decision” was posted on X/Twitter by ΰΌΊ devil child ΰΌ» on October 6, 2014. “Once is a mistake, twice is a decision” was posted on X/Twitter by JacquelynπŸ¦‹ on December 2, 2014. “Once Is A Mistake. Twice Is A Decision. Three Times Is Their Character. Respect The Pattern & Move Accordingly” was posted on X/Twitter by ღ β„’Ο…vα₯²bα₯£α₯± on March 12, 2026.
   
 
Wiktionary: fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me 
Proverb
fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me
. After being tricked once, one should learn from one’s mistakes and avoid being tricked in the same way another time. 
     
Wikipedia: Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho de Souza (/ˈkwΙ›l.juː, kuΛˆΙ›l.juː, -joʊ/ KWEL-yoo, koo-EL-yoo, -⁠yoh, Portuguese: [ˈpawlu kuˈeʎu]; born 24 August 1947) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist. He has been a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002. His 1988 novel The Alchemist is an international best-seller.
   
Newspapers.com
1 November 1992, The Province (Vancouver, BC), “Do one-time cheaters cheat again?” by Kathy Tait, pg. C10, col. 2:
In my view, cheating once is a mistake; twice is a pattern and a problem.
   
Newspapers.com
12 November 1996, The State (Columbia, SC), “Spear,” pg. C4, col. 4:
Once might be a mistake; twice is a pattern.
         
Google Groups: rec.crafts.textiles.needlework
Size of stash
Cindy Swafford
Sep 10, 1997, 3:00:00β€―AM
(...)
Never had to leave everything, but I’m headed (rapidly) towards my second divorce (once is a mistake, twice is a pattern) and know how it feels to start over with not much.
 
X/Twitter
Ken Kreiker
@CorkedBat
Thought 4 the day:  Once is a mistake.  Twice is a pattern.  Three times is a habit.  And four times is an addiction.
2:29 PM Β· Mar 15, 2011
 
X/Twitter
Jako de Leon
@jakodeleon
RT @travelkage “Once is a mistake, twice is a choice.”
3:01 AM Β· Apr 15, 2012
 
X/Twitter
Jamie M. Timbre
@jtimbre
Always remember: once is a mistake, twice is a choice. Never accept anything less than the very best. βœ—
11:45 AM Β· Mar 10, 2013
 
X/Twitter
Jess
@JessyMendiola
Never fall for the same thing twice. Once is a mistake. Twice is a choice.
7:56 PM Β· Mar 26, 2013
 
Facebook
Antonio Miller
December 26, 2013 at 1:31 PM Β·
Cheating is a choice not a decision and a mistake repeated more than once is a decision. Paulo Cohelo
 
X/Twitter
StillGlamorus 🀍πŸͺ¬
@StillGlamorUs
And a mistake repeated more than once is a decision!
12:04 PM Β· Jul 10, 2014 from Tucson, AZ
 
X/Twitter
IAmBrianπŸ’«
@BTheBigGeneral
β€œAnd a mistake repeated more than once is a decision.”
1:55 PM Β· Jul 10, 2014
 
Tumblr
“And a mistake repeated more than once is a decision.”
β€” Paulo Coelho (via seulray)
12 years ago, 377,266 notes (About July 2014.—ed.)
 
X/Twitter
Beatriz
@mandolinaes
“And a mistake repeated more than once is a decision.” - Paulo Coelho http://tmblr.co/ZNUEYy1NNBFeg
4:21 PM Β· Aug 4, 2014
 
X/Twitter
Oluwarotimi
@its_me_Rodney
And A Mistake Repeated More Than Once Is A Choice ...
11:52 AM Β· Sep 1, 2014
 
X/Twitter
Alexandra Rey
@alexandrarey2
A mistake repeated more than once is a choice.
9:01 PM Β· Oct 6, 2014
   
X/Twitter
ΰΌΊ devil child ΰΌ»
@soy_laprincesa
Once is a mistake. Twice is a decision.
10:47 PM Β· Oct 6, 2014
 
X/Twitter
JacquelynπŸ¦‹
@jackie_ciccotto
Once is a mistake, twice is a decision.
9:49 PM Β· Dec 2, 2014
 
X/Twitter
The Frugal Model
@thefrugalmodel
“A mistake repeated more than once is a decision.” -Paulo Coelho
6:01 PM Β· Dec 4, 2014
     
X/Twitter
A Colleague
@__Macksimum
Once is a mistake, twice is a pattern, 3 or more times is a habit. Remember that
4:56 PM Β· Jun 6, 2015
 
Reddit—Quotes
u/AhsanMoin—February 26, 2017
A mistake repeated more than once is a decision.
   
X/Twitter
ღ β„’Ο…vα₯²bα₯£α₯±
@so_luvable
π’ͺ𝓃𝒸𝑒 πΌπ“ˆ π’œ π‘€π’Ύπ“ˆπ“‰π’Άπ“€π‘’.
π’―π“Œπ’Ύπ’Έπ‘’ πΌπ“ˆ π’œ π’Ÿπ‘’π’Έπ’Ύπ“ˆπ’Ύπ‘œπ“ƒ.
𝒯𝒽𝓇𝑒𝑒 π’―π’Ύπ“‚π‘’π“ˆ πΌπ“ˆ 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓇 π’žπ’½π’Άπ“‡π’Άπ’Έπ“‰π‘’π“‡.
π‘…π‘’π“ˆπ“…π‘’π’Έπ“‰ 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒫𝒢𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓃 & π‘€π‘œπ“‹π‘’ π’œπ’Έπ’Έπ‘œπ“‡π’Ήπ’Ύπ“ƒπ‘”π“π“Ž.
4:25 PM Β· Mar 12, 2026
 
Facebook
Lovely Sharma
March 17, 2026 at 12:24 PM Β·
Once is a mistake.
Twice is a decision.
Three times is their character.
Respect the pattern
and move accordingly
- Lovely Sharma 🌻
 
X/Twitter
Emmy Drille
@Iam_emmydrille
Once is a mistake. Twice is a decision. Three times is their character.
1:57 AM Β· Mar 20, 2026
 
,a href=“https://x.com/PkshalSanghavi/status/2035066313941328342”>X/Twitter
Pakshal ⚑
@PkshalSanghavi
Once is a mistake.
Twice is a decision.
Three times is their character.
2:49 PM Β· Mar 20, 2026
 
X/Twitter
Prolific
@prolific2u
Once is a mistake.
Twice is a decision.
Three times is their character.
1:31 AM Β· Jul 30, 2026
 
Bluesky
RAY PARDO
@imraypardo.bsky.social
Once is a mistake.
Twice is a decision.
Three times is their character.
Respect the pattern and move accordingly.
12:02 PM Β· Oct 11, 2026

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