Cuiusvis hominis est errare
“Any man can make a mistake.”
Cicero, Philippics 12.5
What does “Cuiusvis hominis est errare” mean?
Cuiusvis hominis est errare translates as “Any man can make a mistake.”
Error is part of being human, so no one should be ashamed of having been wrong. Cicero adds the point that matters: only a fool keeps insisting on the mistake once it is seen.
“Cuiusvis hominis est errare” word by word
| Latin | English | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| Cuiusvis | of anyone at all, of any | genitive singular of quivis, “anyone you like”; agrees with hominis |
| hominis | of a man, of a person | genitive singular of homo, “human being”; possessive genitive, “it belongs to a person to…” |
| est | is | 3rd person singular present indicative of sum, “I am” |
| errare | to err, to make a mistake | present infinitive (active) of erro, “I wander, I go wrong”; the subject of est |
How to pronounce “Cuiusvis hominis est errare”
The two systems differ mainly in v (w or v) and in the h of hominis, which Church Latin often leaves silent. Stress falls on the first syllable of cuiusvis and hominis and on the second-to-last syllable of errare.
The story behind it
Word for word the line says “it is of anyone at all to err”. The genitive “of a man” is the Latin way of saying that something is typical of a person: making mistakes belongs to being human.
The line comes from Cicero’s twelfth Philippic, one of the speeches he delivered against Mark Antony in the political struggles after Caesar’s death in 44 BC. It is a general remark that he uses to support his argument in the speech.
Cicero goes on, “nullius nisi insipientis in errore perseverare”: only a fool persists in error. The full thought is often quoted in two halves, as it is the second half that gives the line its point. Today it is cited in discussions of learning from failure and of owning up to mistakes.
How to use “Cuiusvis hominis est errare”
Suits a team retrospective slide, a kind note to someone who is too hard on themselves after a slip, or a classroom poster about learning from errors. For a speech or essay, quote it together with Cicero’s second half, which gives the full lesson.
- Latin
- Cuiusvis hominis est errare
- English
- Any man can make a mistake.
- Source
- Cicero, Philippics 12.5
- Era
- Classical
- Theme
- Wisdom
Common mistakes
- The quote is often shortened to “errare humanum est”. That is a later, popular form, not Cicero’s wording, and it drops his warning about persisting in error.
- It does not excuse repeated mistakes. Cicero says that only a fool keeps insisting on an error once it is seen.
- Cuiusvis hominis is a genitive: do not rewrite it as “quivis homo” or similar without also changing the rest of the sentence.
- The source is Philippic 12, not 14 or the first Philippic: check the number before citing it.
Questions about “Cuiusvis hominis est errare”
What does “Cuiusvis hominis est errare” mean literally?
“It is of any man to err”, that is, to make mistakes is something that belongs to any human being.
Who said “Cuiusvis hominis est errare”?
Cicero, in his twelfth Philippic speech against Mark Antony (Philippics 12.5).
How do you pronounce “Cuiusvis hominis est errare”?
In Classical Latin: KOO-yoos-wiss HOH-mih-nis est er-RAH-reh. In Church Latin: KOO-yoos-vis OH-mee-nis est er-RAH-reh.
What is the rest of Cicero’s sentence?
He continues “nullius nisi insipientis in errore perseverare”: only a fool persists in error. The full line balances forgiveness with responsibility.
More to explore
Translation and grammar checked by Latin Quoter · last reviewed November 2026
Related Latin quotes
One Latin line. Every Monday.
A quote, its translation and the story behind it, free in your inbox.