1523 Three Ways to Find Wisdom
2026-06-01
Politics & Philosophy
In the past, the definition of wisdom has been nebulous; Confucius said, “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” But other than the quote itself, Confucius didn’t expand any further so throughout history, other people have been offering interpretations of what his words meant. Reflection is mindfulness, another difficult word to define, but it mostly means self-examination. However, studies show that no more than 10% of the population have that ability, though the ones that can could be considered wise. Imitation might fool other people into thinking that you have wisdom but unless you absorb it, you don’t actually have any. Experience can certainly lead to at least specific kinds of wisdom. Albert Einstein said “Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it,” but he was smart not wise so his definition is only half right because wisdom requires a lifetime of schooling to acquire, both formal and informal. I offer my own humble definition of wisdom; one that’s both succinct & objective. In fact, it’s actually a measurement, and anything that can be measured is real. Wisdom is the breath & depth of knowledge times the breath & depth of experience times self-awareness. As an example, if you were school-taught knowledgeable in medicine, law, science, business, travel, sports, philosophy, politics & family, and your lived experience in those fields was demonstrably accomplished as designated by licensing, and marriage, and you were high in self-awareness, you’re probably as wise as a human can get.
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