Robert Christy, comp. Proverbs, Maxims and Phrases of All Ages. 1887.
Experience
A bitten child dreads a dog.
A burnt cat shuns the fire-place.Tamil.
A burnt child dreads the fire.
A novice at the first attempt, an adept at the second.Chinese.
A scalded cat dreads cold water.French, Portuguese.
A scalded dog thinks cold water hot.Italian.
After mischance every one is wise.French.
All is but lip wisdom that wanteth experience.
By falling we learn to go safely.Dutch.
Could everything be done twice everything would be done better.German.
Even the fool knows from experience.Hesiod.
Experience breedeth art, lack of experience chance.Ben Jonson.
Experience is good if not bought too dear.
Experience is the best teacher.
Experience is the blind man’s dog.Punch.
Experience is the fool’s master, reason the wise man’s.German.
Experience is the father of wisdom and memory the mother.
Experience is the great baffler of speculation.
Experience is the great test of truth and is perpetually contradicting the theories of men.Dr. Johnson.
Experience is the mistress of fools.Latin.
Experience is the mother of science.
Experience joined to common-sense,
To mortals is a providence.Green.
Experience keeps a dear school, but fools learn in no other.
Experience makes fools wise.
Experience purchased by suffering teaches wisdom.Latin.
Experience teaches fools and he is a great one that will not learn by it.
Experience without learning is better than learning without experience.
He knows the water best who has waded through it.Danish.
He who has been bitten by a snake is afraid of an eel.
He who has been stung by a scorpion is afraid of its shadow.Spanish.
He who has been stung by a serpent is afraid of a lizard.Italian.
He who has crossed the ford knows how deep it is.Italian.
He who has once burnt his mouth always blows his soup.German.
I know by my own pot how the others boil.French.
Once bit, twice shy.
Personal experience is better than book learning.
Scalded cats fear even cold water.