--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If one by one we counted people out For…" description: "\"If one by one we counted people out For the least sin, it wouldn't take us long To get so we had no one left to live with. For to be social is to be fo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0a/robert-frost-371_forgiveness_if-one-by-one-we-counted-people-out-for_1981945.png" --- # If one by one we counted people out For the least sin, it… ![“If one by one we counted people out For the least sin, it wouldn't take us long To get so we had no one left to live with. For to be social is to be forgiving.” quote by Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0a/robert-frost-371_forgiveness_if-one-by-one-we-counted-people-out-for_1981945.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0a/robert-frost-371_forgiveness_if-one-by-one-we-counted-people-out-for_1981945.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0a/robert-frost-371_forgiveness_if-one-by-one-we-counted-people-out-for_1981945.png) > “If one by one we counted people out For the least sin, it wouldn't take us long To get so we had no one left to live with. For to be social is to be forgiving.” [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If we eliminated people one by one to avoid sin, we’d end up alone; social forgiveness is essential. **In simple terms:** Removing people to avoid sin leads to isolation; forgiveness sustains society. Key Takeaway Value forgiveness and community. Themes ethics community forgiveness Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - discussions on ethics - community building workshops - philosophical debates - writing on social responsibility - counseling groups Key Concepts social contract moral calculus Questions to Reflect On - Can a society thrive without any forgiveness? - How do we balance justice and compassion? A Different Perspective Assumes sin can be quantified per person. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Forgiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiving/) [Live Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-social-2083160/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-sin-256473/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social Forgiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-forgiving-3389255/) ## Related quotes > [To be social is to be forgiving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/to-be-social-is-to-be-forgiving/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. For the least sin, it wouldn't take us longTo get so we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-weak-can-never-forgive-forgiveness-is-the-attribute-of-the-strong-3/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I'm not trying to live a social media life or a life to just be in a magazine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tika-sumpter/i-m-not-trying-to-live-a-social-media-life-or-a-life-to-just-be-in-a/) [Tika Sumpter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tika-sumpter/) > [I believe that we were meant to live as social creatures, to reach out and bless each other's lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/i-believe-that-we-were-meant-to-live-as-social-creatures-to-reach-out/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [I can live without social media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-cargill/i-can-live-without-social-media/) [Jade Cargill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-cargill/) > [Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/some-tourists-think-amsterdam-is-a-city-of-sin-but-in-truth-it-is-a/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [God may forgive sins, he said, but awkwardness has no forgiveness in heaven or earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/god-may-forgive-sins-he-said-but-awkwardness-has-no-forgiveness-in/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [As you consider your own life, are there things that you need to change? Have you made mistakes that still need to be corrected?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-scott-grow/as-you-consider-your-own-life-are-there-things-that-you-need-to/) [C. Scott Grow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-scott-grow/) > [...And in freedom, most people find sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-in-freedom-most-people-find-sin/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Shame is a hold that sin uses on you. As long as you're ashamed of the sin, it has a hold on you. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-benson/shame-is-a-hold-that-sin-uses-on-you-as-long-as-you-re-ashamed-of-the/) [Angela Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-benson/) > [When a house is on fire and you know that there are people in it, it is a sin to straighten pictures in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corrie-ten-boom/when-a-house-is-on-fire-and-you-know-that-there-are-people-in-it-it/) [Corrie Ten Boom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corrie-ten-boom/) > [“When our personal pursuit is forgiveness, restoration, and holiness, others will find it uncomfortable to sin around us. We should not be comfortable people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-hawkes-valente/when-our-personal-pursuit-is-forgiveness-restoration-and-holiness/) [Sarah Hawkes Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-hawkes-valente/) > [During the rest of my screen career, I am going to continue doing vampires as long as people sin. For I believe that humanity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theda-bara/during-the-rest-of-my-screen-career-i-am-going-to-continue-doing/) [Theda Bara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theda-bara/) > [“In freedom, people find sin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/in-freedom-people-find-sin/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“You don’t make peace only with God. You make it with people. Sin isn’t global. It’s personal. If you do wrong to someone, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-don-t-make-peace-only-with-god-you-make-it-with-people-sin-isn-t/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More by Robert Frost > [The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working when you get up in the morning, and doesn't stop until you get to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-brain-is-a-wonderful-organ-it-starts-working-when-you-get-up-in/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [When I see birches bend to left and right... I like to think some boy's been swinging them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/when-i-see-birches-bend-to-left-and-right-i-like-to-think-some-boy-s/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [“The promising young poets, the hopefuls? I'd name Richard Wilbur, Peter Viereck, Karl Shapiro, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, John Ciardi...Leonard Bacon...but it is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-promising-young-poets-the-hopefuls-i-d-name-richard-wilbur-peter/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Lord, I have loved Your sky, Be it said against or for me, Have loved it clear and high, Or low and stormy...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/lord-i-have-loved-your-sky-be-it-said-against-or-for-me-have-loved-it/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Let him that is without stone among you cast the first thing he can lay his hands on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/let-him-that-is-without-stone-among-you-cast-the-first-thing-he-can/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [It is only a moment here and a moment there that the greatest writer has. Some cognizance of the fact must be taken in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/it-is-only-a-moment-here-and-a-moment-there-that-the-greatest-writer/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [And of course there must be something wrong In wanting to silence any song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/and-of-course-there-must-be-something-wrong-in-wanting-to-silence-any/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [There are two kinds of teachers: the kind that fill you with so much quail shot that you can't move, and the kind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/there-are-two-kinds-of-teachers-the-kind-that-fill-you-with-so-much/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [The rose is a rose, And was always a rose. But now the theory goes That the apple's a rose, And the pear is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-rose-is-a-rose-and-was-always-a-rose-but-now-the-theory-goes-that/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee, and I'll forgive Thy great big joke on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/forgive-o-lord-my-little-jokes-on-thee-and-i-ll-forgive-thy-great-big/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [What an exciting age it is we live in With all this talk about the hope of youth And nothing made of youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/what-an-exciting-age-it-is-we-live-in-with-all-this-talk-about-the/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [The footpath down to the well is healed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-footpath-down-to-the-well-is-healed/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [There is the fear that we shan't prove worthy in the eyes of someone who knows us at least as well as we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/there-is-the-fear-that-we-shan-t-prove-worthy-in-the-eyes-of-someone/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [It's God - I recognised him from Blake's picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/it-s-god-i-recognised-him-from-blake-s-picture/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Create and stir other people to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/create-and-stir-other-people-to-create/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) [Explore all 624 Robert Frost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) ## More Forgiveness quotes > [“Lord I come before you, I repent all my sins; forgive me. I repent on behalf of my children forgive them Lord. Help them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/lord-i-come-before-you-i-repent-all-my-sins-forgive-me-i-repent-on/) [Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/) > [Forgiveness is not saying, What you did to me is okay. It is saying, Im not going to let what you did to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate/forgiveness-is-not-saying-what-you-did-to-me-is-okay-it-is-saying-im/) [Nate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate/) > [“So in practicing blanket forgiveness you first assume that in any current condition of pain or discomfort there is some anger involved, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-kahili-king/so-in-practicing-blanket-forgiveness-you-first-assume-that-in-any/) [Serge Kahili King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-kahili-king/) > [Do what is given to you, and do it well, and you will have done enough...live together in the forgiveness of your sins. Forgive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-what-is-given-to-you-and-do-it-well-and-you-will-have-done-enough/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The public, more often than not, will forgive mistakes, but it will not forgive trying to wiggle out of one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-grizzard/the-public-more-often-than-not-will-forgive-mistakes-but-it-will-not/) [Lewis Grizzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-grizzard/) > [A Real Boyfriend does the sweetest things randomly because he never wants her to feel unappreciated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/a-real-boyfriend-does-the-sweetest-things-randomly-because-he-never/) [Enhance Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enhance-dreams/) > [“(Evil people) do not believe in forgiveness. Their transgressions are either punished or not punished. That is the only result that matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mchugh/evil-people-do-not-believe-in-forgiveness-their-transgressions-are/) [Daniel McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mchugh/) > [Friendship means understanding, not argument. it means forgiveness, not forgetting. it means the memories last, even if contact is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sokhom/friendship-means-understanding-not-argument-it-means-forgiveness-not/) [Sokhom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sokhom/) > [Grace is the wonderful spirit that imbues every fiber of our being when we practice the fruits of the spirit: kindness, patience, understanding, forgiveness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/grace-is-the-wonderful-spirit-that-imbues-every-fiber-of-our-being/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [One of the most basic principles for making and keeping peace within and between nations. . . is that in political, military, moral, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/one-of-the-most-basic-principles-for-making-and-keeping-peace-within/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [“Have an open mind and heart. Learn to journey in understanding and forgiveness. It's not always going to be easy but it will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-elle/have-an-open-mind-and-heart-learn-to-journey-in-understanding-and/) [Alexandra Elle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-elle/) > [Forgive us our trespasses," says Margarethe, "and get out of our way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/forgive-us-our-trespasses-says-margarethe-and-get-out-of-our-way/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you can't forgive and forget, pick only one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brault/if-you-can-t-forgive-and-forget-pick-only-one/) [Robert Brault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brault/) [Browse all 8,311 Forgiveness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If one by one we counted people out For the least sin, it wouldn't take us long To get so we had no one left to live with. 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