Man has three ways of acting wisely. First, on meditation; that is the noblest. Secondly, on imitation; that is the easiest. Thirdly, on experience; that is the bitterest.
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Notes from Wikiquote
as reported in Words of Wisdom to Live By by Alfred Armand Montapert (1986)
Variants
By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is the noblest; Second, by imitation, which is the easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.