---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Man on the dubious waves of error toss'd."
description: "\"Man on the dubious waves of error toss'd.\" — William Cowper"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cd/william-cowper-779_dubious_man-on-the-dubious-waves-of-error-toss-d_489496.png"
---

#  Man on the dubious waves of error toss'd.

![“Man on the dubious waves of error toss'd.” quote by William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cd/william-cowper-779_dubious_man-on-the-dubious-waves-of-error-toss-d_489496.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cd/william-cowper-779_dubious_man-on-the-dubious-waves-of-error-toss-d_489496.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cd/william-cowper-779_dubious_man-on-the-dubious-waves-of-error-toss-d_489496.png)

> “Man on the dubious waves of error toss'd.”

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

## About This Quote

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

Human error is likened to a precarious vessel tossed upon uncertain seas, emphasizing fragility and unpredictability.

**In simple terms:** Errors are like a shaky boat on rough waters.

Key Takeaway

Navigate uncertainty with caution.

Themes

error uncertainty fragility human condition

Mood

cautious reflective

Type

philosophical practical

When to use this quote

- decision making
- risk assessment
- education
- leadership

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you manage uncertainty?
- What strategies reduce error impact?

A Different Perspective

Overreliance on certainty can be dangerous.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dubious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dubious/) [Dubious Waves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dubious-waves-4191487/) [Error Toss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/error-toss-4191486/) [Errors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/errors/) [Man Dubious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-dubious-4191485/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Toss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toss/) [Wave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wave/) [Waves Error](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waves-error-4191488/)

## Related quotes

> [When scandal has new-minted an old lie, Or tax'd invention for a fresh supply, 'Tis call'd a satire, and the world appears Gathering around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/when-scandal-has-new-minted-an-old-lie-or-tax-d-invention-for-a-fresh/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [Twere better to be born a stone Of ruder shape, and feeling none, Than with a tenderness like mine And sensibilities so fine! Ah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/twere-better-to-be-born-a-stone-of-ruder-shape-and-feeling-none-than/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [You see, my Lord Archbishop, what is "dubious" about my theology is not that it contradicts particular doctrinal teachings, things are much worse or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-drewermann/you-see-my-lord-archbishop-what-is-dubious-about-my-theology-is-not/)

[Eugen Drewermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-drewermann/)

> [Wholeness is sort of a dubious concept. Because in terms of the human body and literal wholeness and structures, you think: "here are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/wholeness-is-sort-of-a-dubious-concept-because-in-terms-of-the-human/)

[Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/)

> [“It is of the dubious inevitable side of human nature—like gold teeth and tinned salmon and bastard lacy valentines”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-maclane/it-is-of-the-dubious-inevitable-side-of-human-nature-like-gold-teeth/)

[Mary MacLane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-maclane/)

> [Faculty Psychology is getting to be respectable again after centuries of hanging around with phrenologists and other dubious types. By faculty psychology I mean,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-fodor/faculty-psychology-is-getting-to-be-respectable-again-after-centuries/)

[Jerry Fodor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-fodor/)

> [What we really need the poet's and orator's I help to keep alive in us is not, then, the common and gregarious courage which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/what-we-really-need-the-poet-s-and-orator-s-i-help-to-keep-alive-in/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [It should seem that Negroes, of all Americans, would be found in the Free-thought fold, since they have suffered more than any other class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-harrison/it-should-seem-that-negroes-of-all-americans-would-be-found-in-the/)

[Hubert Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-harrison/)

> [Writing is to descend like a miner to the depths of the mine with a lamp on your forehead, a light whose dubious brightness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-cendrars/writing-is-to-descend-like-a-miner-to-the-depths-of-the-mine-with-a/)

[Blaise Cendrars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-cendrars/)

> [So, Beav, tell me about yourself." "I'm Blue." "Sweetheart, if I had your dubious taste in men, I wouldn't be too happy, either." "My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/so-beav-tell-me-about-yourself-i-m-blue-sweetheart-if-i-had-your/)

[Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/)

> [I’m saying language is a passport. A dubious, dangerous passport too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xiaolu-guo/i-m-saying-language-is-a-passport-a-dubious-dangerous-passport-too/)

[Xiaolu Guo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xiaolu-guo/)

> [Man is constantly being assured that he has more power than ever before in history, but his daily experience is one of powerlessness. ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/man-is-constantly-being-assured-that-he-has-more-power-than-ever/)

[Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/)

> [Sometimes it's a fraught, kind of laden world of performance that I think can be really dubious, but it's also super fun to almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/sometimes-it-s-a-fraught-kind-of-laden-world-of-performance-that-i/)

[Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/)

> [The diversity of India cannot thrive on facile attempts to create the homogeneous category of "Indian." Nor can it thrive on dubious attempts to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nyla-ali-khan/the-diversity-of-india-cannot-thrive-on-facile-attempts-to-create-the/)

[Nyla Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nyla-ali-khan/)

> [It would have been easier to fight alone with inadequate forces than to have to accept...responsibility for our ally's lack of fighting qualities and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-kesselring/it-would-have-been-easier-to-fight-alone-with-inadequate-forces-than/)

[Albert Kesselring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-kesselring/)

## More by William Cowper

> [And hast thou sworn on every slight pretence, Till perjuries are common as bad pence, While thousands, careless of the damning sin, Kiss the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/and-hast-thou-sworn-on-every-slight-pretence-till-perjuries-are/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [No wild enthusiast could rest, till half the world like him was possessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/no-wild-enthusiast-could-rest-till-half-the-world-like-him-was/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [Admirals extolled for standing still, or doing nothing with a deal of skill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/admirals-extolled-for-standing-still-or-doing-nothing-with-a-deal-of/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [“The good we never miss we rarely prize”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/the-good-we-never-miss-we-rarely-prize/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [Thus happiness depends, as nature shows, less on exterior things than most suppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/thus-happiness-depends-as-nature-shows-less-on-exterior-things-than/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [Stamps God's own name upon a lie just made, To turn a penny in the way of trade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/stamps-god-s-own-name-upon-a-lie-just-made-to-turn-a-penny-in-the-way/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [But oars alone can ne'er prevail To reach the distant coast; The breath of Heaven must swell the sail, Or all the toil is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/but-oars-alone-can-ne-er-prevail-to-reach-the-distant-coast-the/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [“Nature is but a name for an effect whose cause is God"...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/nature-is-but-a-name-for-an-effect-whose-cause-is-god/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [But conversation, choose what theme we may, And chiefly when religion leads the way, Should flow, like waters after summer show'rs, Not as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/but-conversation-choose-what-theme-we-may-and-chiefly-when-religion/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [Remorse, the fatal egg that pleasure laid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/remorse-the-fatal-egg-that-pleasure-laid/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [“When we don't pray, we quit the fight. Prayer keeps the Christian's armor bright. And Satan trembles when he sees. The weakest saint upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/when-we-don-t-pray-we-quit-the-fight-prayer-keeps-the-christian-s/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [But animated nature sweeter still, to soothe and satisfy the human ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/but-animated-nature-sweeter-still-to-soothe-and-satisfy-the-human-ear/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [A fretful temper will divide the closest knot that may be tied, by ceaseless sharp corrosion; a temper passionate and fierce may suddenly your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/a-fretful-temper-will-divide-the-closest-knot-that-may-be-tied-by/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [Ten thousand casks, Forever dribbling out their base contents, Touch'd by the Midas finger of the state, Bleed gold for ministers to sport away.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/ten-thousand-casks-forever-dribbling-out-their-base-contents-touch-d/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [The art of poetry is to touch the passions, and its duty to lead them on the side of virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/the-art-of-poetry-is-to-touch-the-passions-and-its-duty-to-lead-them/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

[Explore all 371 William Cowper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

## More Dubious quotes

> [It would have been easier to fight alone with inadequate forces than to have to accept...responsibility for our ally's lack of fighting qualities and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-kesselring/it-would-have-been-easier-to-fight-alone-with-inadequate-forces-than/)

[Albert Kesselring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-kesselring/)

> [The diversity of India cannot thrive on facile attempts to create the homogeneous category of "Indian." Nor can it thrive on dubious attempts to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nyla-ali-khan/the-diversity-of-india-cannot-thrive-on-facile-attempts-to-create-the/)

[Nyla Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nyla-ali-khan/)

> [Sometimes it's a fraught, kind of laden world of performance that I think can be really dubious, but it's also super fun to almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-hecker/sometimes-it-s-a-fraught-kind-of-laden-world-of-performance-that-i/)

[Tim Hecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-hecker/)

> [Man is constantly being assured that he has more power than ever before in history, but his daily experience is one of powerlessness. ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/man-is-constantly-being-assured-that-he-has-more-power-than-ever/)

[Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/)

> [I’m saying language is a passport. A dubious, dangerous passport too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xiaolu-guo/i-m-saying-language-is-a-passport-a-dubious-dangerous-passport-too/)

[Xiaolu Guo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xiaolu-guo/)

> [So, Beav, tell me about yourself." "I'm Blue." "Sweetheart, if I had your dubious taste in men, I wouldn't be too happy, either." "My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/so-beav-tell-me-about-yourself-i-m-blue-sweetheart-if-i-had-your/)

[Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/)

> [Writing is to descend like a miner to the depths of the mine with a lamp on your forehead, a light whose dubious brightness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-cendrars/writing-is-to-descend-like-a-miner-to-the-depths-of-the-mine-with-a/)

[Blaise Cendrars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-cendrars/)

> [It should seem that Negroes, of all Americans, would be found in the Free-thought fold, since they have suffered more than any other class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-harrison/it-should-seem-that-negroes-of-all-americans-would-be-found-in-the/)

[Hubert Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-harrison/)

> [What we really need the poet's and orator's I help to keep alive in us is not, then, the common and gregarious courage which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/what-we-really-need-the-poet-s-and-orator-s-i-help-to-keep-alive-in/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Faculty Psychology is getting to be respectable again after centuries of hanging around with phrenologists and other dubious types. By faculty psychology I mean,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-fodor/faculty-psychology-is-getting-to-be-respectable-again-after-centuries/)

[Jerry Fodor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-fodor/)

> [“It is of the dubious inevitable side of human nature—like gold teeth and tinned salmon and bastard lacy valentines”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-maclane/it-is-of-the-dubious-inevitable-side-of-human-nature-like-gold-teeth/)

[Mary MacLane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-maclane/)

> [Wholeness is sort of a dubious concept. Because in terms of the human body and literal wholeness and structures, you think: "here are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/wholeness-is-sort-of-a-dubious-concept-because-in-terms-of-the-human/)

[Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/)

> [You see, my Lord Archbishop, what is "dubious" about my theology is not that it contradicts particular doctrinal teachings, things are much worse or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-drewermann/you-see-my-lord-archbishop-what-is-dubious-about-my-theology-is-not/)

[Eugen Drewermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-drewermann/)

> [The most universal and effectual way of discovering the true meaning of law, when the words are dubious, is by considering the reason and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blackstone/the-most-universal-and-effectual-way-of-discovering-the-true-meaning/)

[William Blackstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blackstone/)

> [The dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he’s given the freedom to starve anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-dubious-privilege-of-a-freelance-writer-is-he-s-given-the-freedom/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 172 Dubious quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dubious/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Man on the dubious waves of error toss'd.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Cowper"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/man-on-the-dubious-waves-of-error-toss-d/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dubious"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/man-on-the-dubious-waves-of-error-toss-d/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cd/william-cowper-779_dubious_man-on-the-dubious-waves-of-error-toss-d_489496.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cd/william-cowper-779_dubious_man-on-the-dubious-waves-of-error-toss-d_489496.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cd/william-cowper-779_dubious_man-on-the-dubious-waves-of-error-toss-d_489496.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Man on the dubious waves of error toss'd.” — William Cowper",
                "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": "William Cowper",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Man on the dubious waves of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/man-on-the-dubious-waves-of-error-toss-d/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/man-on-the-dubious-waves-of-error-toss-d/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```