"To err is human. To forgive, canine"

“Errāre hūmānum est” is classical Latin fo “to err is human” (that is, we all make mistakes). “To err is human; to forgive, divine” is from An Essay on Criticism (1711) by English writer Alexander Pope (1688–1744). “To err is human. To forgive, canine” is a dog saying that has been printed on many images.

“To err is human - to forgive - canine” was printed in the book Anecdotes of Actors: With other desultory recollections (1844) by Mrs. Anne Mathews (Anne Jackson, an actress—ed.). The humor magazine Life (New York, NY), on January 7, 1915, had the illustration “TO ERR IS HUMAN (A drunk is shown kicking a dog.—ed.) TO FORGIVE CANINE (The dog is shown kissing its owner.—ed.).” “It has been asserted that ‘to err is human and to forgive canine’” was printed in the Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch on November 16, 1925.

Wiktionary: errare humanum est
Etymology
The beginning of a longer Latin saying: “Errare humanum est, perseverare autem diabolicum.” It translates to: “To err is human, but to persist [in error] is diabolical.” The saying is often attributed to Seneca but not attested in his works.
Proverb
errāre hūmānum est
1. to err is human

Wiktionary: to err is human
Etymology
Calque of Latin errāre hūmānum est.
Proverb
to err is human
1. Everyone makes mistakes.
Usage notes
The phrase is often used as a part of a longer proverb in English, to err is human; to forgive, divine (Alexander Pope, “Essay on Criticism”).

Wikipedia: An Essay on Criticism
An Essay on Criticism is one of the first major poems written by the English writer Alexander Pope (1688–1744), published in 1711. It is the source of the famous quotations “To err is human; to forgive, divine”, “A little learning is a dang’rous thing” (frequently misquoted as “A little knowledge is a dang’rous thing”), and “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread”.

Google Books
Anecdotes of Actors:
With other desultory recollections
By Mrs. Anne Mathews (Anne Jackson, an actress—ed.)
London, UK: T. C. Newby
1844
Pg. 399:
“To err is human - to forgive - canine.”

Google Books
7 January 1915, Life (New York, NY), pg. 15, col. 1 illustration:
TO ERR IS HUMAN (A drunk is shown kicking a dog.—ed.)
TO FORGIVE CANINE (The dog is shown kissing its owner.—ed.)

Newspapers.com
16 November 1925, Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch, “Lowly Canine to Have His Day in Mutt Competition,” pg. 9, col. 5:
It is a rather general custom to grow sentimental over dogs. Nobody denies that; in many virtues, they surpass the genus homo. It has been asserted that “to err is human and to forgive canine.”

Newspapers.com
11 May 1929, Smith’s Weekly (Sydney, NSW, Australia), pg. 22, col. 2:
TERSE TIVOLI TABS
(...)
Bury’s Dogs—to err is human, to forgive canine.

Newspapers.com
13 May 1989, Intelligencer-Journal (Lancaster, PA), “For Better or for Worse” comic stip, pg. C-5, col. 8:
REMEMBER—TO ERR IS HUMAN, TO FORGIVE CANINE!

Newspapers.com
11 April 1990, Los Angeles (CA) Times, “Wegman: Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks” by Dave Hickey, pg. F6, col. 3:
To err is human, the subtext goes, to forgive canine.

Google Groups: rec.pets.dogs
It’s too serious—READ MONDO CANINE
Gail E. Brookhart
Apr 11, 1993, 3:01:28 PM
We need to lighten up around here!
From Mondo Canine by Jon Winokur,
(...)
To err is human, to forgive canine.
—Anonymous

Google Groups: alt.wolves
Machiavelli Revived!
Erik M Blackwolf
Sep 28, 1993, 12:09:07 AM
(...)
“To err is human, to forgive canine” -Anonymous

Google Groups: alt.aol-sucks
Duh!
Rich Maher
Jan 30, 1997, 3:00:00 AM
(...)
To err is human, to forgive, canine.

Google Groups: alt.quotations
To err is
David C Kifer
Jul 27, 2002, 1:33:14 PM
(...)
To err is human, to forgive, canine.
—Anonymous

X/Twitter
Shivanand Velmurugan
@shiva
tumblr> To err is human:To forgive, canine. http://tinyurl.com/344knh
6:12 PM · Feb 24, 2008

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Melani
@melanig
On my page-a-day dog calendar today: “To err is human; to forgive is canine.” It made it into my all-time favorites cerebral cortex file.
1:17 PM · Apr 25, 2008

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TiffanyLeigh
@Tiffany79Leigh
“To err is human, to forgive, canine” Dogster members have some of the best quotes in their profiles.
2:43 PM · Oct 9, 2008

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Unique Pedigree Club
@uniquepedigree
“To err is human, to forgive, canine” “To err is human, to purr, feline” http://bit.ly/bQ6hLV
11:59 PM · May 23, 2010

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Dog Lover
@DogsMyLove
To err is human:To forgive, canine. - Anonymous #dog #quote
6:49 AM · Nov 7, 2010

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shannan ambrose
@shannanyrwambro
To err is human, to forgive, canine. unknown
3:32 AM · May 31, 2011

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Doggee Snax
@DoggeeSnax
“To err is human, to forgive, canine.”
—Unknown
2:15 AM · Jun 18, 2012

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AnimalMASH
@AnimalMASH
“To err is human, to forgive, canine” - Anonymous #beaumont #dog #pet
(The saying is also shown on an image.—ed.)
3:25 PM · Aug 15, 2015

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Great Gifts Anytime
@AnytimeGiftIdea
To err is Human to forgive CANINE-animal necklace-dog necklace http://buff.ly/1IfzDvT #Etsy @funjewelry
(The saying is shown on a necklace.—ed.)
2:30 PM · Nov 4, 2015

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StandUpForTruth
@WeStand4USA
“To err is human, to forgive, canine” ~ Anonymous http://torihartman.com
7:07 PM · Dec 30, 2015

X/Twitter
FitBark
@FitBark
To err is human—to forgive, canine.
(The saying is also shown on an image.—ed.)
4:30 PM · Mar 6, 2024