What does this saying mean really?

[Anonymous]

Everyone makes mistakes in life but it doesn't mean they have to pay for them for the rest of their life.
Sometimes good people make bad choices, it doesn't mean they are bad it means they are human

[SteveSmith1985]

Well, this means:

1. People can be redeemed. There is an idea that there are consequences for mistakes, and that's as it should be. People change, learn, grow, etc. over time. Over a long time (say years or decades) people often end up seeing/feeling very differently about many things compared to an earlier stage of life.

Given people's ability (and general tendency) to be able to see one's own "mistakes" quite clearly in hindsight. Often the recognition of how wrong/bad a specific mistake actually was grows with time and distance. You gain perspective on your own mistakes. You see them AS mistakes more fully as you grow as a person.

So while mistakes have consequences. For mistakes whose consequences stretch over years or decades ("the rest of your life)... after a certain amount of time... the person who made the mistake has grown into someone who can see what a bad decision it was to make the mistake. It is something that (the newer more mature them) wouldn't repeat.

Therefore, the idea here is basically that after a significant length of time, people should be freed of the consequences of their mistakes because they're essentially "somebody else" after so much time.

The second part of this saying is easier to explain. It's stating that all human beings are falliable (sometimes make bad choices). Therefore, if someone makes a bad choice, it is unfair to conclude that someone is "bad" (since good people make bad choices sometimes too)

I don't know if I, personally agree with these sayings. It depends on the situation I guess. But... that's what this means 🙂

[Guy13]

…. and do not need to beat themselves up over them eternally.🤷🏻‍♂️