To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so.

Robert Orben (1927–2023) was an American comedy writer and speechwriter known for one-liners that satirized modern life. This quip belongs to a wave of late-20th-century humor responding to the growing presence of computers in offices and homes, when “computer error” became a convenient explanation for human mistakes. Orben’s line riffs on the long-standing proverb “To err is human,” updating it for an age in which technology is both indispensable and an easy scapegoat. The joke lands in everyday bureaucratic and workplace settings, where blame-shifting to machines can feel more socially acceptable than admitting personal fault.

The quote humorously exposes a perennial human habit: making mistakes and then rationalizing them. By adding “to blame it on a computer,” Orben suggests that technology doesn’t eliminate error; it often provides a new alibi for it. The line also hints at a subtle reversal of responsibility in modern systems—when processes are mediated by software, accountability can become diffuse, and “the computer” becomes a stand-in for complex human decisions, poor inputs, or flawed procedures. Its enduring appeal comes from balancing truth and exaggeration: computers do fail, but people are often eager to treat technical complexity as a shield against scrutiny.