No one is a fool always; every one sometimes.

Meaning: Foolish moments afflict everyone regardless of wisdom, so judge people by patterns, not isolated lapses.

Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.

More proverbs about Perseverance

From our untranslatable words

  • Puente — The day taken off to 'bridge' a midweek public holiday to the weekend, turning it into a…
  • Vergüenza ajena — The squirming embarrassment felt on behalf of another person, who may be entirely untroub…
  • Magari — One word doing the work of 'if only', 'I wish', 'perhaps' and 'you bet' — the tone decide…

Browse all untranslatable words →

← Back to Proverbs