Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
The public rarely forgives someone more than once for the same mistake.
In plain terms
The public forgives you once, not twice.
What can you take from it?
Be careful with reputation; mistakes count heavily.

Where it applies

  • public life
  • career management
  • social media

Putting it to work

  • protect your reputation
  • learn from errors

Questions to consider

  • What if you mess up twice?
  • How long does forgiveness last?

Another view

Public memory varies by context and era.

More from Johann Kaspar Lavater

  1. Neatness begets order; but from order to taste there is the same difference as from taste to genius, or from love to friendship.

    Permalink to quote #10
  2. Venerate four characters: the sanguine who has checked volatility and the rage for pleasure; the choleric who has subdued passion and pride; the phlegmatic eme…

    Permalink to quote #12
  3. Trust not him with your secrets, who, when left alone in your room, turns over your papers.

    Permalink to quote #9

Related quotes

  1. Great services are not cancelled by one act or by one single error.

    Benjamin DisraeliBenjamin Disraeli quote #195
  2. Mark how my fame rings out from zone to zone: A thousand critics shouting: 'He's unknown!'

    Ambrose BierceAmbrose Bierce quote #1
  3. Our country will, I believe, sooner forgive an officer for attacking an enemy than for letting it alone.

    Horatio NelsonHoratio Nelson quote #2