A mistake is no reckoning.
A mistake is no reckoning.
Meaning in plain English
An incorrect calculation does not become valid because someone relies on it. Check an error and correct the result rather than treating a mistaken account as settled.
Example
A club discovers that a fee total counted several payments twice. It corrects the calculation and explains the revised balance to members.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The saying distinguishes a reckoning from an error presented as one. A total needs to correspond to the underlying information. Repeating the mistaken figure or recording it formally cannot supply that correspondence. In broader use, a decision based on a faulty premise deserves reconsideration once the fault is found. A responsible correction should show what changed and how it affects people who relied on the earlier version. The proverb does not deny that a real mistake can have consequences requiring separate attention.
When to use it
Use it to insist on correcting a calculation or premise.
Keep in mind
Calling something an error requires evidence. A corrected figure does not automatically resolve commitments or harm arising from the mistake.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857)
Printed page 17; French section, paragraph 346; source wording: Erreur n’est pas compte.
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗