The most boring job I ever had was at a railway company. All I did all day was sort waybills into numerical sequence. After about three weeks on this job I approached my supervisor, a Scot by the name of Bob Craig, and asked for something more challenging. He suggested I remain on the sorting desk for another two or three weeks, saying that the extra “experience” would do me good. I told him that after that time I wouldn’t have five or six weeks’ experience, but rather one day’s experience twenty-five or thirty times over. He gave me the standard dour Scot’s stare over his reading glasses, but then moved me to a far more interesting job.
For it to qualify as experience you have to learn something from it.
The only thing tougher than learning from experience is not learning from experience.
Experience can’t be taught.
Experience often teaches us things we don’t want to know.
Experience is rarely gift-wrapped.
It’s great to arrive, but that’s no reason to not enjoy the trip.
Nothing destroys a theory like experience.
Some things needn’t be explained, just enjoyed.
Experience is a guide post, not a hitching post.
Experience includes knowing the things you shouldn’t do.
You can’t learn how to swim by reading a book; you have to jump into the water and get wet.
One problem with experience is the number of times that we don’t have it when we really need it.
Experience is a tough school; we get the test first and the lesson after.
Once you’ve had a bull by the horns you know a lot more about the situation than anyone who hasn’t.
Stick around long enough and you’ll see everything -- at least twice.
Experience is not what happens to you; it’s what you learn from what happens to you.
Considering the cost of experience, it should be the best teacher.
Experience is often just another name for mistakes.
Proverbs are short sentences based on long experience.
Experience often comes from expecting something else.
Experience tells you when you’ve made that mistake before.
If an experienced person takes enough interest in you to pass along a few tips, you should always listen.
The problem with never having played the game is that you don’t know what goes on in the players’ minds.
Wisdom comes from good judgement which comes from experience which often comes from bad judgement.
Trivial things can be emotional because of particular experiences.
Even a bad experience can teach; next time do the opposite.
A lack of experience shouldn’t be allowed to limit your vision.
Relying only on your own experience is usually a sign that you don’t have enough of it.
The only thing you can replace experience with is more experience.
You can value tradition and still apply what you learn from experience.
For experience to be useful it has to be considered in the light of present facts and future possibilities.