proverb · Words worth keeping
Even champions make mistakes - there is no one who doesn’t.
Even champions make mistakes - there is no one who doesn’t.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Champions also making mistakes denies that achievement makes a person infallible. It normalises the possibility of error even in skilled performance.
What the words are saying
No one makes the statement broad rather than a measured count of every person’s record. A useful interpretation can support review and learning without excusing negligence or treating errors as unimportant. Expertise still has value; the point is that it should not replace evidence or accountability.
Everyday example
A skilled practitioner welcomes review of a particular decision instead of relying only on reputation.
When to use it
Use it to discuss fallibility with expertise and responsibility both retained.
What it does not mean
No error is excused solely by common fallibility, and skill is not therefore worthless.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 995; PDF page 139
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.