Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

Often labeled a “Chinese proverb” in modern quotation collections, this saying is more securely traced in English-language tradition than to any identifiable classical Chinese text. It appears in early modern English in forms like “He that is deceived once, it is his own fault; if twice, it is his own,” and it was popularized in the 17th century through English proverb compilations. In contemporary usage it circulates as a piece of folk wisdom about trust and repeated deception, frequently invoked in politics, business, and personal relationships to justify withdrawing trust after a second betrayal. The “Chinese” attribution reflects a common tendency to assign anonymous proverbs to prestigious or generalized cultural sources.

The proverb draws a moral boundary between being deceived and remaining willfully vulnerable. The first deception is framed as the deceiver’s wrongdoing; the second shifts responsibility to the person who failed to learn from experience. Its force lies in urging discernment, memory, and self-protection: trust may be offered, but it should be revised in light of evidence. In modern usage it often functions as a warning against repeated scams, broken promises, or patterns of abuse, implying that wisdom consists not only in judging others’ character but also in correcting one’s own habits of credulity.

1) "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." 2) "Deceive me once, and it is your fault; deceive me twice, and it is my fault." 3) "Cheat me once, shame on you; cheat me twice, shame on me."