Those are wise who learn caution from their own experience; but those are wiser who learn it from the experience of others.

Experience can teach a person to recognize risks and act more carefully. The proverb treats that willingness to learn as a form of wisdom.

It places even greater value on noticing what happens to other people. Their experiences can warn you of a danger without requiring you to suffer the same consequences yourself.

Use this proverb to encourage someone to heed another person’s experience before making a risky decision. It can also sum up a lesson after someone has avoided a mistake by paying attention to what happened to others.