---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The law is simple. Every experience is…"
description: "\"The law is simple. Every experience is repeated or suffered till you experience it properly and fully the first time.\" — Ben Okri"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/ben-okri-3640_first-time_the-law-is-simple-every-experience-is-re_1839449.jpg"
---

#  The law is simple. Every experience is repeated or…

![“The law is simple. Every experience is repeated or suffered till you experience it properly and fully the first time.” quote by Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/ben-okri-3640_first-time_the-law-is-simple-every-experience-is-re_1839449.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/ben-okri-3640_first-time_the-law-is-simple-every-experience-is-re_1839449.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/ben-okri-3640_first-time_the-law-is-simple-every-experience-is-re_1839449.jpg)

> “The law is simple. Every experience is repeated or suffered till you experience it properly and fully the first time.”

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

We keep encountering the same lessons until we fully understand them, then they cease to repeat.

**In simple terms:** Repeated experiences teach us until mastery.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the lesson until it clicks.

Themes

learning growth repetition

Mood

reflective patient

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- relationships
- career challenges
- skill acquisition
- emotional healing

Key Concepts

personal development experiential learning

Questions to Reflect On

- What recurring pattern in your life needs deeper understanding?
- How can you recognize when a lesson is finally mastered?

A Different Perspective

If the lesson is ignored, it may cause repeated pain.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Experience Properly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-properly-2338129/) [Experience Repeated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-repeated-445332/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Karma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/karma/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-simple-2046348/) [Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws/) [Repeated Suffered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repeated-suffered-2338130/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Simple Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple-experience-1670567/)

## Related quotes

> [“The language of law should be simple and straight, if you expect people to obey it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/the-language-of-law-should-be-simple-and-straight-if-you-expect/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [Men are really not all that interested in sex. For most men, sex is a very simple experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/men-are-really-not-all-that-interested-in-sex-for-most-men-sex-is-a/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Congress makes immigration law. It's that simple. That is how our system works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirstjen-nielsen/congress-makes-immigration-law-it-s-that-simple-that-is-how-our/)

[Kirstjen Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirstjen-nielsen/)

> [The law of violence is not a law, but a simple fact which can only be a law when it does not meet with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-law-of-violence-is-not-a-law-but-a-simple-fact-which-can-only-be/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“And so this became his pattern: he knew the law. He had a feeling for it. But then, just when I wanted him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/and-so-this-became-his-pattern-he-knew-the-law-he-had-a-feeling-for/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [“Some people say they have 20 years experience, when in reality, they have 1 year's experience repeated 20 times. (Stephen M R Covey to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-norton/some-people-say-they-have-20-years-experience-when-in-reality-they/)

[Richie Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-norton/)

> [“Experience often repeated, truly bitter experience, had taught him long ago that with decent people, especially Moscow people -- always slow to move and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/experience-often-repeated-truly-bitter-experience-had-taught-him-long/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“The “guy” says, “I’ve got ten years’ experience. I don’t know why I’m not doing better.” What he hasn’t realized is that he doesn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-guy-says-i-ve-got-ten-years-experience-i-don-t-know-why-i-m-not/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

> [The first experience can never be repeated. The first love, the first sun-rise, the first South Sea Island, are memories apart, and touched a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-first-experience-can-never-be-repeated-the-first-love-the-first/)

[Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/)

> [“So if you can look at all things without allowing pleasure to creep in - at a face, a bird, the colour of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/so-if-you-can-look-at-all-things-without-allowing-pleasure-to-creep/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [“Do you have twenty years of experience or one year of experience repeated twenty times?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/do-you-have-twenty-years-of-experience-or-one-year-of-experience/)

[Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/)

> [“The laws of every country must be analogous to some common principle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-laws-of-every-country-must-be-analogous-to-some-common-principle/)

[Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/)

> [We are always saying: Let the Law take its Course but what we really mean is: Let the Law take OUR Course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/we-are-always-saying-let-the-law-take-its-course-but-what-we-really/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [The function of the law is not to provide justice or to preserve freedom. The function of the law is to keep those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-spence/the-function-of-the-law-is-not-to-provide-justice-or-to-preserve/)

[Gerry Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-spence/)

> [The law is like apparel, which alters with the time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dodderidge/the-law-is-like-apparel-which-alters-with-the-time/)

[John Dodderidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dodderidge/)

## More by Ben Okri

> [We never think that our mothers will die. It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-never-think-that-our-mothers-will-die-it-was-like-suddenly-an/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [“In a fractured age, when cynicism is god, here is a possible heresy: we live by stories, we also live in them. One way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/in-a-fractured-age-when-cynicism-is-god-here-is-a-possible-heresy-we/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [The best writing is not about the writer, the best writing is absolutely not about the writer, it's about us, it's about the reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/the-best-writing-is-not-about-the-writer-the-best-writing-is/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [Maybe there are only three kinds of stories: those we live, those we tell, and those that help our souls fly upwards to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/maybe-there-are-only-three-kinds-of-stories-those-we-live-those-we/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [The earliest storytellers were magi, seers, bards, griots, shamans. They were, it would seem, old as time, and as terrifying to gaze upon as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/the-earliest-storytellers-were-magi-seers-bards-griots-shamans-they/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [An inner darkness is darker than an outer darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/an-inner-darkness-is-darker-than-an-outer-darkness/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [The strange thing about Africa is how past, present and future come together in a kind of rough jazz, if you like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/the-strange-thing-about-africa-is-how-past-present-and-future-come/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [Our time here is magic! It's the only space you have to realize whatever it is that is beautiful, whatever is true, whatever is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/our-time-here-is-magic-it-s-the-only-space-you-have-to-realize/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [Fire is one of my temperaments. It is behind all my work... Fire is a chemical presence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/fire-is-one-of-my-temperaments-it-is-behind-all-my-work-fire-is-a/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [I lived rough, by my wits, was homeless, lived on the streets, lived on friends' floors, was happy, was miserable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/i-lived-rough-by-my-wits-was-homeless-lived-on-the-streets-lived-on/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [If we could be pure dancers in spirit we would never be afraid to love, and we would love with strength and wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/if-we-could-be-pure-dancers-in-spirit-we-would-never-be-afraid-to/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [Without stories we would go mad. Life would lose its moorings or lose its orientations. even in silence we are living our stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/without-stories-we-would-go-mad-life-would-lose-its-moorings-or-lose/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [Literature doesn't have a country. Shakespeare is an African writer. His Falstaff, for example, is very African in his appetite for life, his largeness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/literature-doesn-t-have-a-country-shakespeare-is-an-african-writer/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [“So long as a canvas is empty its potential is infinite… The empty canvas can become a gateway into the landscape of nightmares or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/so-long-as-a-canvas-is-empty-its-potential-is-infinite-the-empty/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [I went to London because, for me, it was the home of literature. I went there because of Dickens and Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/i-went-to-london-because-for-me-it-was-the-home-of-literature-i-went/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

[Explore all 124 Ben Okri quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

## More First time quotes

> [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [“I’m so stressed that a weird Olympic-style commentary starts up in my head. And here we have Zelah Green, the fourteen-year-old champion of rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-curtis/i-m-so-stressed-that-a-weird-olympic-style-commentary-starts-up-in-my/)

[Vanessa Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-curtis/)

> [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/)

[Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/)

> [“I’m waiting for you,” he murmured, smiling a slow, familiar grin that seemed to hint at a secret between them. And for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/i-m-waiting-for-you-he-murmured-smiling-a-slow-familiar-grin-that/)

[Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/)

> [“Treat every natural beauty you met as if you see them for the first and last time!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/treat-every-natural-beauty-you-met-as-if-you-see-them-for-the-first/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“I won’t break your heart. For the first time in my life, I’ve found something worth fighting for, someone more important than me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelle-bliss/i-won-t-break-your-heart-for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-ve-found/)

[Chelle Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelle-bliss/)

> [Life is like a parachute jump: you have to get it right the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-is-like-a-parachute-jump-you-have-to-get-it-right-the-first-time/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [When I was in my twenties and just so sexually prolific, the first time I went to Machu Picchu, this guy, a spiritual teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-and-just-so-sexually-prolific-the-first/)

[Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/)

> [When my kids were in the school play for the first time, I decided I had to make the costumes from scratch and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-alexander/when-my-kids-were-in-the-school-play-for-the-first-time-i-decided-i/)

[Sarah Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-alexander/)

> [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/)

[Mennah al refaey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mennah-al-refaey/)

> [“Or maybe your magic isn't that destructive after all. The rain of Doritos, the bed thing,this...Maybe it's just that you create too big, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/or-maybe-your-magic-isn-t-that-destructive-after-all-the-rain-of/)

[Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/)

> [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/)

[Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/)

> [I don't know why, but everybody thinks that I'm short. When they see me for the first time, women are always surprised to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariah-carey/i-don-t-know-why-but-everybody-thinks-that-i-m-short-when-they-see-me/)

[Mariah Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariah-carey/)

> [“I met Suffering on a quiet road, just as the sun was setting behind me. Its presence was heavy, like an old coat I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/i-met-suffering-on-a-quiet-road-just-as-the-sun-was-setting-behind-me/)

[Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/)

> [“You never talk to the pitcher when…” He shook his head. “You just never talk to the pitcher when--” “I just wanted to congratulate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/you-never-talk-to-the-pitcher-when-he-shook-his-head-you-just-never/)

[Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/)

[Browse all 9,309 First time quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The law is simple. Every experience is repeated or suffered till you experience it properly and fully the first time.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ben Okri"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/the-law-is-simple-every-experience-is-repeated-or-suffered-till-you/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "First time"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/the-law-is-simple-every-experience-is-repeated-or-suffered-till-you/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/ben-okri-3640_first-time_the-law-is-simple-every-experience-is-re_1839449.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/ben-okri-3640_first-time_the-law-is-simple-every-experience-is-re_1839449.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86d/ben-okri-3640_first-time_the-law-is-simple-every-experience-is-re_1839449.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The law is simple. Every experience is repeated or suffered till you experience it properly and fully the…” — Ben Okri",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ben Okri",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The law is simple. Every experience...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/the-law-is-simple-every-experience-is-repeated-or-suffered-till-you/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/the-law-is-simple-every-experience-is-repeated-or-suffered-till-you/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
