learn one's lesson
Heed past mistakes
To learn one's lesson is to gain wisdom from a negative experience, typically by suffering consequences that discourage repeating a mistake: After getting food poisoning from that restaurant, I learned my lesson.
The phrase implies the understanding came through hardship rather than instruction.
Someone who hasn't learned their lesson keeps making the same error.
- repercussionsIndirect results of actions
- pay the priceSuffer deserved consequences
- face the musicAccept deserved consequences
- experiencePractical knowledge from life
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
responsibility · bitter pill · adaptation · self-awareness · come to terms · never again · wisdom · humility · eat humble pie · maturity · trial-and-error · wake-up call · regret · recalibration · karma · habit formation · accountability · hard way
learn one's lessonbackslide
Revert to bad habits
relapse · reoffend · double down · dig in one's heels · miss the point
learn one's lessonstagnate
Cease to develop
willful ignorance · close one's eyes · bury one's head in the sand
learn, learns, learned, learning, learner, learners, lesson, lessons