On the misuse of the phrase, “Everyone makes mistakes.”

I’ve always had a problem with this phrase because the word “mistake” has a negative connotation. Webster’s dictionary defines mistake as a noun and has these 2 definitions:

1. a wrong judgement
2. a wrong action or statement proceeding from faulty judgement, inadequate knowledge, or inattention

I don’t know about you, but the word that stands out to me is “wrong.” Wrong doesn’t feel good or right either. There is reasoning behind why I feel this phrase is incorrectly used. Let’s break it down.

Say a person drops something or fumbles a word. To respond with “Everyone makes mistakes” implies something else than the person meant to. The person saying it wants the person to know it isn’t a big deal, the thing they did didn’t cause any harm, and we can easily just keep going.

BUT, when a person says “Everyone makes mistakes” it generally implies that what they did was wrong. And doing something wrong seems intentional or at the very least that it is a problem.

I think that is the greatest discrepancy. Often, the “mistake” the person made is not even a problem or maybe it’s that I don’t see small things as problems which is why I’m somewhat discontented by the phrase.

If you have read any of my other posts, you will know that I run everything in this life against the concept and reality of death, so I have an appreciation for the size of what people consider a “problem.” That’s why you will often hear me say, “it is what it is.” That’s why I don’t have a lot of empathy for those that continuously complain. We are human beings on an Earth where we created systems that are often so far from the bigger picture of what makes this life worth living.

For the record, I don’t think most people who say, “Everyone makes mistakes” have any ill-intent and do not see it like I do so I certainly don’t blame them.

This is just something to consider as you consider the depth of what really matters and to help define what might actually be considered a mistake. At this point, I think Forrest Gump was more on target when he said, “Sh*t happens.” That’s how I see “mistakes.” It’s just something that happened and we are moving on. So, what can we say next time we want to say “Everyone makes mistakes” to someone?

• “That happened and we are moving forward.”
• “You are a human being and this is how we are and what we do.”
• “I’ve done something similar. It’s not a mistake, it’s just something that happens as part of how human beings operate.”
• “It’s not a problem.”

I hope this little diatribe made you think differently for a bit!