Source identified
“To err is human; to forgive, divine.”
Error is treated as ordinary human limitation, while forgiveness requires an additional act of generosity.
Source note: An Essay on Criticism, Part II; Pope warns that shallow learning can produce premature confidence before deeper study tempers judgment.
Source identified
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind.”
Love is defined partly through patience and kindness, shifting the idea from emotion alone toward repeated behavior under strain.
Source note: 1 Corinthians 13:4 in the King James Version; this is the opening clause of the verse.
Source identified
“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”
Voice: Fictional character · Countess of Roussillon
The advice combines generosity with judgment: goodwill can be broad while trust remains selective.
Source note: All’s Well That Ends Well, Act 1, Scene 1; the Countess gives Bertram compact advice about conduct before he leaves.
Source identified
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
Voice: Reported speaker · Jesus
The prayer links asking for mercy with practicing mercy toward other people, making forgiveness a reciprocal moral discipline rather than a one-sided demand.
Source note: Matthew 6:12 in the King James Version.
Source identified
“I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid.”
Voice: Reported speaker · Abigail
Abigail asks pardon while attempting to prevent violence, connecting forgiveness with humility, mediation, and the practical work of interrupting retaliation.
Source note: 1 Samuel 25:28, King James Version; Abigail speaks to David during her appeal intended to avert bloodshed against Nabal’s household.
Source identified
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”
Voice: Reported speaker · Jesus
Mercy is presented as a virtue that shapes both how a person treats others and the kind of moral world that person hopes to inhabit.
Source note: Matthew 5:7 in the King James Version.