---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is toleration? It is the prerogative…"
description: "\"What is toleration? It is the prerogative of humanity. We are all steeped in weaknesses and errors: Let us forgive one another's follies, it is the fir..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c88/voltaire-173_errors_what-is-toleration-it-is-the-prerogative_1827961.png"
---

#  What is toleration? It is the prerogative of humanity. We…

![“What is toleration? It is the prerogative of humanity. We are all steeped in weaknesses and errors: Let us forgive one another's follies, it is the first law of nature.” quote by Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c88/voltaire-173_errors_what-is-toleration-it-is-the-prerogative_1827961.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c88/voltaire-173_errors_what-is-toleration-it-is-the-prerogative_1827961.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c88/voltaire-173_errors_what-is-toleration-it-is-the-prerogative_1827961.png)

> “What is toleration? It is the prerogative of humanity. We are all steeped in weaknesses and errors: Let us forgive one another's follies, it is the first law of nature.”

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Tolerance is recognizing human flaws and choosing forgiveness as a natural principle.

**In simple terms:** Forgive others because everyone errs.

Key Takeaway

Practice forgiveness daily.

Themes

tolerance humanity forgiveness

Mood

reflective compassionate

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal conflicts
- social justice
- community building

Key Concepts

philosophy ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you model forgiveness without enabling harm?
- What limits exist for unconditional tolerance?

A Different Perspective

Tolerance can be exploited by those who avoid accountability.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Folly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folly/) [Forgiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiving/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law of nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-of-nature/) [Laws of nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws-of-nature/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Prerogative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prerogative/) [Tolerance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolerance/) [Toleration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toleration/) [Weakness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakness/)

## Related quotes

> [“Toleration is the prerogative of humanity; we are all full of weaknesses and mistakes; let us reciprocally forgive ourselves. It is the first law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/toleration-is-the-prerogative-of-humanity-we-are-all-full-of/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [“What is tolerance? It is a necessary consequence of humanity. We are all fallible, let us then pardon each other's follies. This is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/what-is-tolerance-it-is-a-necessary-consequence-of-humanity-we-are/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Let us therefore reject all superstition in order to become more human; but in speaking against fanaticism, let us not imitate the fanatics: they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/let-us-therefore-reject-all-superstition-in-order-to-become-more/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [We are all full of weakness and errors; let us mutually pardon each other our follies - it is the first law of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/we-are-all-full-of-weakness-and-errors-let-us-mutually-pardon-each/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other's folly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/what-is-tolerance-it-is-the-consequence-of-humanity-we-are-all-formed/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Freedom which in no other land will thrive, Freedom an English subject's sole prerogative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/freedom-which-in-no-other-land-will-thrive-freedom-an-english-subject/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [When I was appointed deputy president, I accepted it, and it is the president's prerogative to appoint or remove anyone to the Executive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-ramaphosa/when-i-was-appointed-deputy-president-i-accepted-it-and-it-is-the/)

[Cyril Ramaphosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-ramaphosa/)

> [There is neither rank nor station nor prerogative in the republic of the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-ingalls/there-is-neither-rank-nor-station-nor-prerogative-in-the-republic-of/)

[John James Ingalls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-ingalls/)

> [The Society is based on that great bottom law of human right, that nothing but crime can forfeit liberty. That no condition of birth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dwight-weld/the-society-is-based-on-that-great-bottom-law-of-human-right-that/)

Theodore Dwight Weld

> [If CASA?s board, which includes such scientific experts as actress Jamie Lee Curtis, wants to tell the world that drinking is bad for you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/if-casa-s-board-which-includes-such-scientific-experts-as-actress/)

[Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/)

> [A critic has no right to the narrowness which is the frequent prerogative of the creative artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/a-critic-has-no-right-to-the-narrowness-which-is-the-frequent/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [Reason to rule, mercy to forgive: The first is law, the last prerogative. Life is an adventure in forgiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/reason-to-rule-mercy-to-forgive-the-first-is-law-the-last-prerogative/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [Beauty is the true prerogative of women, and so peculiarly their own, that our sex, though naturally requiring another sort of feature, is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/beauty-is-the-true-prerogative-of-women-and-so-peculiarly-their-own/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Some husbands regard it as their prerogative to compel their wives to fit their standards of what they think to be the ideal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/some-husbands-regard-it-as-their-prerogative-to-compel-their-wives-to/)

[Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/)

> [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/)

[Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/)

## More by Voltaire

> [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Fanaticism, to which men are so much inclined, has always served not only to render them more brutalized but more wicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/fanaticism-to-which-men-are-so-much-inclined-has-always-served-not/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [We’re neither pure, nor wise, nor good; we do the best we know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/we-re-neither-pure-nor-wise-nor-good-we-do-the-best-we-know/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [It is with books as with men: a very small number play a great part, the rest are lost in the multitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-with-books-as-with-men-a-very-small-number-play-a-great-part/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Meslier was the most singular phenomenon ever seen among all the meteors fatal to the Christian religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/meslier-was-the-most-singular-phenomenon-ever-seen-among-all-the/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Being unable to make people more reasonable, I preferred to be happy away from them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/being-unable-to-make-people-more-reasonable-i-preferred-to-be-happy/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [When his highness sends a ship to Egypt, does he trouble his head whether the mice on board are at their ease or not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/when-his-highness-sends-a-ship-to-egypt-does-he-trouble-his-head/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Madness is to think of too many things in succession too fast, or of one thing too exclusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/madness-is-to-think-of-too-many-things-in-succession-too-fast-or-of/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/god-gave-us-the-gift-of-life-it-is-up-to-us-to-give-ourselves-the/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-not-inequality-which-is-the-real-misfortune-it-is-dependence/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Providence has given us hope and sleep as a compensation for the many cares of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/providence-has-given-us-hope-and-sleep-as-a-compensation-for-the-many/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Men use thought only to justify their wrong doings, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/men-use-thought-only-to-justify-their-wrong-doings-and-employ-speech/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/work-spares-us-from-three-evils-boredom-vice-and-need/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

[Explore all 934 Voltaire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

## More Errors quotes

> [It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/it-is-easier-to-perceive-error-than-to-find-truth-for-the-former-lies/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Effective leaders are made, not born. They learn from trial and error, and from experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/effective-leaders-are-made-not-born-they-learn-from-trial-and-error/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

> [“I saw the errors I had made and assumed full responsibility for everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-saw-the-errors-i-had-made-and-assumed-full-responsibility-for/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

> [Sometimes I envy painters, it is wonderful to remain in front of a bouquet of flowers a whole morning, or even longer. A photographer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edouard-boubat/sometimes-i-envy-painters-it-is-wonderful-to-remain-in-front-of-a/)

[Edouard Boubat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edouard-boubat/)

> [It is an error common to many artists, who strive merely to avoid mistakes, when all our efforts should be to create positive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-steichen/it-is-an-error-common-to-many-artists-who-strive-merely-to-avoid/)

[Edward Steichen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-steichen/)

> [Truth is error burned up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-o-brown/truth-is-error-burned-up/)

[Norman O. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-o-brown/)

> [But a most pernicious error widely prevails that Scripture has only so much weight as is conceded to it by the consent of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/but-a-most-pernicious-error-widely-prevails-that-scripture-has-only/)

[John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/)

> [An important finding is that by determining the genome sequences of an entire family, one can identify many DNA sequencing errors and thus greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/an-important-finding-is-that-by-determining-the-genome-sequences-of/)

[Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/)

> [It is often sadly remarked that the bad economists present their errors to the public better than the good economists present their truths. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/it-is-often-sadly-remarked-that-the-bad-economists-present-their/)

[Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/)

> [Developing fewer features allows you to conserve development resources and spend more time refining those features that users really need. Fewer features mean fewer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-nielsen/developing-fewer-features-allows-you-to-conserve-development/)

[Jakob Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-nielsen/)

> [Tachyon OPC+ is a natural extension of our market-winning Tachyon platform, giving customers a clear path to minimizing the OPC error budget and producing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/tachyon-opc-is-a-natural-extension-of-our-market-winning-tachyon/)

[Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/)

> [It is not to everyone's taste that truth should be pronounced pleasant. But at least let no one believe that error becomes truth when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-not-to-everyone-s-taste-that-truth-should-be-pronounced/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [To avoid being drawn into error, keep a firm grip on the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/to-avoid-being-drawn-into-error-keep-a-firm-grip-on-the-truth/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Over immense periods of time the intellect produced nothing but errors. A few of these proved to be useful and helped to preserve the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/over-immense-periods-of-time-the-intellect-produced-nothing-but/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [But to me all sciences seem vain and full of error that are not born of experience, mother of all certainty, and do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/but-to-me-all-sciences-seem-vain-and-full-of-error-that-are-not-born/)

[Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/)

Browse all 2,404 Errors quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What is toleration? It is the prerogative of humanity. We are all steeped in weaknesses and errors: Let us forgive one another's follies, it is the first law of nature.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Voltaire"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/what-is-toleration-it-is-the-prerogative-of-humanity-we-are-all/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Errors"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/what-is-toleration-it-is-the-prerogative-of-humanity-we-are-all/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c88/voltaire-173_errors_what-is-toleration-it-is-the-prerogative_1827961.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c88/voltaire-173_errors_what-is-toleration-it-is-the-prerogative_1827961.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c88/voltaire-173_errors_what-is-toleration-it-is-the-prerogative_1827961.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What is toleration? It is the prerogative of humanity. We are all steeped in weaknesses and errors: Let us…” — Voltaire",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Voltaire",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What is toleration? It is the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/what-is-toleration-it-is-the-prerogative-of-humanity-we-are-all/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/what-is-toleration-it-is-the-prerogative-of-humanity-we-are-all/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
