Thought for the Day Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise ...

[Paul Whybrow]

Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.

Otto Von Bismark

 

[Pamela Jo]

OOOOKay like what? Mistakes aren't that easy to determine wo some time and distance. The only one that seems this immediate is when you miss the flight that ends up in the Atlantic, but what is your conclusion. Don't fly over the Atlantic? Wisdom is not that easy. If it was the US wouldn't be turning fascist as we speak.

 

[Hannah Faoileán]

Ugh, I think we should all learn from our own mistakes. If I didn't what a mess I'd be in right now.

 

[Bloo]

Well...this was Bismark.

 

[JoanUP]

I don't think he was saying we shouldn't learn from our own mistakes, but rather we are ignorant fools when we make them, and that in contrast, learning from others takes knowledge, contemplation, and insight, characteristics of the wise.

 

[Vagabond Heart]

Only a fool doesn't recognise that being willing to make mistakes and learn from them is the true mark of intelligence.

 

[LJ Beck]

I don't think we're really built to learn from other's mistakes. We need to experience things first hand. We're too stubborn, or individualistic, or idealistic to think that we're going to repeat someone else's mistake in the same way. And actually, that's not wrong. One person's mistake can be someone else's success story. And if it turns out to be a mistake, then it's our mistake, our way. That's important.

We do like to learn from others successes, though. Somehow we think if someone else does something dumb, we'll be smarter. But if someone does something well, we can do it too. I like that about people. Blind optimism and a spirit of adventure.

 

[LJ Beck]

Oh just saw this… thought it was appropriate.

 

[Aethalope]

You can identify which kindergarteners are going to struggle in school without intervention by playing memory with them.

They only memorise the tiles they turn over. They ignore the tiles other players turn over because they are not important.

 

[Pamela Jo]

You can identify which kindergarteners are going to struggle in school without intervention by playing memory with them.

They only memorise the tiles they turn over. They ignore the tiles other players turn over because they are not important.

HMMMMM. I think you've identified the problem in the US. E Pluribus Unum.

 

[JoanUP]

I don't think we're really built to learn from other's mistakes. We need to experience things first hand. We're too stubborn, or individualistic, or idealistic to think that we're going to repeat someone else's mistake in the same way. And actually, that's not wrong. One person's mistake can be someone else's success story. And if it turns out to be a mistake, then it's our mistake, our way. That's important.

We do like to learn from others successes, though. Somehow we think if someone else does something dumb, we'll be smarter. But if someone does something well, we can do it too. I like that about people. Blind optimism and a spirit of adventure.

Case in point, apparently Americans need to experience 1930's Germany first hand rather than reading about it and watching movies.

 

[LJ Beck]

Case in point, apparently Americans need to experience 1930's Germany first hand rather than reading about it and watching movies.

Um... To be clear, I'm talking about "Don't drop out of college" kind of mistakes that might not be mistakes for everyone. Not genocide and world wars.