He is LIFELESS that is faultless

Meaning & Analysis

A person without faults is not truly alive; to be alive is to err.

Insights

Fallibility as Humanity

The proverb equates fault with vitality, suggesting that imperfection is a defining trait of human life. A faultless person would be devoid of the passions, risks, and spontaneity that animate existence.

Critique of Perfection

It casts suspicion on the ideal of moral or behavioral perfection, implying that striving to be faultless may suppress one's authenticity, creativity, or emotional depth.

Embrace of Complexity

The proverb metaphorically invites acceptance of the messy, flawed, and dynamic nature of life. To live fully is to experience mistakes, growth, and imperfection.

Moral Realism

The proverb aligns with a morally realist worldview, acknowledging that error and imperfection are inevitable aspects of human nature. It indirectly critiques moral absolutism or rigid idealism.

Vitalism and Expressiveness

Life is implicitly defined not by purity but by movement, change, and emotional intensity—all of which can generate faults. In this sense, fault becomes a sign of inner aliveness and individuality.

Social Tolerance and Empathy

By normalizing human imperfection, the proverb encourages a tolerant and empathetic view of others. It subtly argues that judging harshly or expecting perfection is itself a form of lifelessness.

Historical Echoes of Proverbs on Universal Fault

Proverbs such as ‘Every man has his faults’ or ‘Every bean has its black’ reinforce the same sentiment: that error is not only universal but also a sign of being truly human. This one goes further, suggesting that faultlessness is unnatural.

Rhetorical Devices

Paradox

The statement appears self-contradictory—suggesting that being faultless results in lifelessness. This irony captures attention and conveys its deeper truth through contradiction.

Antithesis

The sharp contrast between ‘lifeless’ and ‘faultless’ underlines the tension between vitality and perfection, reinforcing the message that to be human is to be imperfect.

Epigrammatic Compression

Its brevity and balance give it the form of an epigram—compact, witty, and memorable—well-suited to philosophical reflection or social critique.

imperfectionhumanityvitalitymoralityrealismparadox
Analyzed with gpt-4o on July 10, 2025

Transcription

Quotations

1546, HEY., I xi, s. D3v

Faultles lifles.

a.1598, FERG., MS, no. 416

(who is faultlesse).

1611, COT., s.v. Tare
1611, DAV., Prov., no. 346
1616, DR., no. 679
1639, CL., p. 80

Livelesse, faultlesse.

1641, FERG., no. 583
1664, COD., p. 197

[As in 1641 Ferg.]

1668, R.B., p. 36
1670, RAY, p. 89
1672, WALK., 29, p. 23
1681, ROB., p. 825

Cross References

Original Scan

He is LIFELESS that is faultless - a scanned entry from Tilley's 1950 Dictionary of Proverbs.
Scan courtesy of HathiTrust Digital Library.
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.

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Last updated: January 27, 2026