proverb · Words worth keeping
If things were to be done twice, all would be wise.
If things were to be done twice, all would be wise.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Knowing an outcome can make an earlier choice seem easier to judge. The saying highlights hindsight, while recognising that a first decision must often be made with incomplete information.
Example
After a demonstration takes longer than planned, a presenter adjusts the next session while acknowledging that the audience’s questions were not all predictable beforehand.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The imagined second attempt comes with knowledge unavailable at the first. A person can see which detail mattered after the result, and may wish they could return to the decision with that understanding. All would be wise exaggerates how much a second chance would solve: circumstances can change, and repeating a task does not remove every uncertainty. The helpful comparison separates what was reasonably knowable before the choice from what became clear afterwards. Reflection can improve later action without treating an unexpected outcome as proof that someone should already have known everything that the experience eventually revealed.
When to use it
Use it when hindsight is making an uncertain earlier decision seem obvious.
Keep in mind
A second attempt is not guaranteed success; assess earlier choices using information reasonably available then.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English