fool me once
First time tricked
Fool me once is the opening of the proverb "fool me once, shame on you; fool me once, shame on me"—meaning if someone deceives you twice, you bear responsibility for not learning from the first time.
The phrase often appears truncated, with the rest implied: Fool me once... I'm not falling for that again.
It signals wariness born from past experience.
- shamePainful awareness of failure
- trustConfidence in another
- trust issuesSkepticism toward others' motives
- betrayalBreaking of trust
- deceptionIntentional misleading of others
false promises · trick · twice · proverb · lesson · burned · wise · cautious · skeptical · liar · con · scam · red flag · warning · bitter · duped · vigilant · sting
fool me oncefool me twice
sucker for punishment · glutton for punishment · born yesterday · willful ignorance · short memory
fool me onceblind trust
Complete unquestioning confidence
eternal optimist · turn the other cheek · open book · benefit of the doubt · forgive and forget
fool, fools, fooled, fooling, foolish, foolishly, foolishness, foolery, foolhardy