where did the pharse "to err is human, but forgiveness is devine come from"?

Answer 1

"To err is human, to forgive divine."
By Alexander Pope, English poet & satirist (1688 - 1744)
An Essay on Criticism

Answer 2

The quote "To err is human, to forgive is divine" is attributed to Alexander Pope

Who is Alexander Pope?

Poet, born in London, England, UK, to a Roman Catholic family in the year of the Protestant Revolution. In 1700 the family settled at Binfield, Berkshire. Debarred from university because of his religion, and largely self-taught, he suffered from poor health caused by tuberculosis, and asthma, and had a curvature of the spine, his resulting diminutive stature (4`ft 6`in) providing a target for critics, since he was frequently engaged in literary vendettas. He became well known as a satirical poet, and a master of the heroic couplet, notably in The Rape of the Lock (1712-1714). He turned to translation with the Iliad (1715-1720), whose success enabled him to set up a home in Twickenham, but he was forced to remove himself from London following further anti-Catholic measures after the Jacobite rebellion of 1715. However, he formed a friendship with his neighbour, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, which was very important to him but soured after 1723. There he wrote his major poem, The Dunciad (1728, continued 1742), the Epistle to Doctor Arbuthnot (1735), the philosophical Essay on Man (1733-1734), and a series of satires imitating the epistles of Horace (1733-1738).

Answer 3

Bartleby.com is a great reference site when you are trying to find sources of quotes and book passages. This particular one

To Err is Human, To forgive devine

here is what Bartleby's has to say about it.

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.

Answer 4

Micky Rooney

Answer 5

Apparently NOT from the evangelicals in here who believe that "NO ONE CAN FORGIVE SINS BUT GOD".

Answer 6

I could've sworn it was Ben Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack that said that. I learned something today, thanks for the question -- and of course the answers.

Answer 7

God is divine. He forgives others for their sins, therefore, it is "divine" to forgive.

Answer 8

BEN FRANKLIN