proverb · Words worth keeping
The fault is great in proportion to him who commits it.
The fault is great in proportion to him who commits it.
In print by 1857 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The seriousness of a fault can depend on the responsibility and influence of the person committing it. Greater power may create greater consequences and stronger duties.
What the words are saying
The saying makes the fault grow with the person who commits it. A useful interpretation concerns responsibility rather than social rank: someone entrusted with a decision can affect many others through an error or abuse. The same act may therefore require different safeguards or responses depending on the role and its consequences. This does not make wrongdoing by an influential person acceptable or wrongdoing by someone with little power irrelevant. Examine what happened, who was affected and what duty was neglected. Accountability should be proportionate and fair rather than a display of deference.
Everyday example
A manager takes responsibility for a misleading instruction that affected an entire team instead of assigning blame only to one person who followed it.
When to use it
Use it to connect influence with responsibility and consequences.
What it does not mean
Status is not a substitute for evidence. Apply fair standards and distinguish deliberate harm from an ordinary mistake.
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 (French-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1857 AD · industrial
In print by 1857: recorded in A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857) (1857 AD)
Printed page 28; French section, paragraph 563; source wording: La faute est grande comme celui qui la commet.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.