What does it mean?
You can become wise by thinking deeply, by copying wise people, or by living through hard times. The last way teaches you, but it hurts.
Key vocabulary
- reflection
- careful, serious thinking
- noblest
- the finest or most honourable
- imitation
- copying someone else
Who said it?
Confucius: Chinese philosopher and teacher (551–479 BC).
These exact words are widely credited to Confucius, but they don’t appear in their known work. They may be a later paraphrase or a misattribution.
More quotes by Confucius
All 4- “Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.”– Confucius
- “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”– Often attributed to Confucius
- “When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it: this is knowledge.”– Confucius