Truth lies within a little and certain compass, but error is immense. (Henry St. John)
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Truth is simple and limited, while falsehood is vast and complex.
Examples
The professor emphasized that truth lies within a little and certain compass, but error is immense.
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on English Wikiquote “English proverbs” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31). Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-01; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “Truth lies within a little and certain compass, but error is immense. (Henry St. John)” mean?
Truth is simple and limited, while falsehood is vast and complex.
Is “Truth lies within a little and certain compass, but error is immense. (Henry St. John)” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.