--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A lot is gained through experience, but…" description: "\"A lot is gained through experience, but experience teaches some and not others. Effectiveness and excellence, whether or not they were attained by simp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/caterina-fake-6230_education_a-lot-is-gained-through-experience-but-e_3113864.png" --- # A lot is gained through experience, but experience teaches… ![“A lot is gained through experience, but experience teaches some and not others. Effectiveness and excellence, whether or not they were attained by simply having the knack or through the school of hard knocks, is really what you want to reward.” quote by Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/caterina-fake-6230_education_a-lot-is-gained-through-experience-but-e_3113864.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/caterina-fake-6230_education_a-lot-is-gained-through-experience-but-e_3113864.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/caterina-fake-6230_education_a-lot-is-gained-through-experience-but-e_3113864.png) > “A lot is gained through experience, but experience teaches some and not others. Effectiveness and excellence, whether or not they were attained by simply having the knack or through the school of hard knocks, is really what you want to reward.” [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Experience provides knowledge, but its lessons vary; true reward comes from effectiveness and excellence earned through skill or hard‑won experience. **In simple terms:** Experience teaches unevenly; reward skill and hard‑earned excellence. Key Takeaway Value skill and hard‑earned excellence. Themes learning skill reward excellence Mood reflective motivational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career advancement - personal development - leadership - entrepreneurship Key Concepts hard work skill development mentorship career growth Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate skill from luck? - What rewards truly reflect effort? A Different Perspective Hard work may not always lead to desired outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Effectiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/) [Excellence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellence/) [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [School of hard knocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-of-hard-knocks/) [What you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/what-you-want/) ## Related quotes > [We learn the influence of our will from experience alone. And experience only teaches us, how one event constantly follows another; without instructing us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/we-learn-the-influence-of-our-will-from-experience-alone-and/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [I'm not one for like soul-searching, sour fizzy moments. I come from the school of hard knocks, "f\*\*king get on with it", that's it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/i-m-not-one-for-like-soul-searching-sour-fizzy-moments-i-come-from/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [There is only one road to human greatness: through the school of hard knocks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/there-is-only-one-road-to-human-greatness-through-the-school-of-hard/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Most people, once they graduate from the School of Hard Knocks, automatically enroll in the University of Adversity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mcwilliams/most-people-once-they-graduate-from-the-school-of-hard-knocks/) [Peter McWilliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mcwilliams/) > [By exposing yourself to risk, you're exposing yourself to heavy-duty learning, which gets you on all levels. It becomes a very emotional experience as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gifford-pinchot/by-exposing-yourself-to-risk-you-re-exposing-yourself-to-heavy-duty/) [Gifford Pinchot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gifford-pinchot/) > [Comin' from the school of hard knocks, Some perpetrate...they drink Clorox. Attack the black, cause I know they lack exact The cold facts, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/comin-from-the-school-of-hard-knocks-some-perpetrate-they-drink/) [Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/) > [“The school of hard knocks is an accelerated curriculum.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-school-of-hard-knocks-is-an-accelerated-curriculum/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I never went to college. I went to the school of hard knocks and paid for my education by getting ripped off. It's been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-dandy-mangrum/i-never-went-to-college-i-went-to-the-school-of-hard-knocks-and-paid/) [Jim "Dandy" Mangrum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-dandy-mangrum/) > [“If you have never reached rock bottom, you have never attended the school of greatness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/if-you-have-never-reached-rock-bottom-you-have-never-attended-the/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [I never expected my graduate degrees to give me all the practical how-to's that can perhaps only be learned through the school of hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livermore/i-never-expected-my-graduate-degrees-to-give-me-all-the-practical-how/) [David Livermore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livermore/) > [“We gauge what we think is possible by what we know from experience, and our acceptance of scientific insights, in particular, is incremental, gained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernd-heinrich/we-gauge-what-we-think-is-possible-by-what-we-know-from-experience/) [Bernd Heinrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernd-heinrich/) > [hindsight is gained through experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/hindsight-is-gained-through-experience/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [Knowledge gained through experience is far superior and many times more useful than bookish knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/knowledge-gained-through-experience-is-far-superior-and-many-times/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [When men are young, they want experience and when they have gained experience, they want energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/when-men-are-young-they-want-experience-and-when-they-have-gained/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [“Everything you know gained from experience”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/everything-you-know-gained-from-experience/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) ## More by Caterina Fake > [Sometimes you climb the mountain, and you fall and fail. Maybe there is a different path that will take you up. Sometimes a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/sometimes-you-climb-the-mountain-and-you-fall-and-fail-maybe-there-is/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) > [My background is in art. I was a painter and an occasional sculptor, and I really like materials - you know, stuff. Physical objects.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/my-background-is-in-art-i-was-a-painter-and-an-occasional-sculptor/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) > [As a child, I learned hundreds of poems by heart, which I can recite to this day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/as-a-child-i-learned-hundreds-of-poems-by-heart-which-i-can-recite-to/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) > [Trade sales are the bulk of exits, and there's no shame in that. Sometimes, it's exactly the right thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/trade-sales-are-the-bulk-of-exits-and-there-s-no-shame-in-that/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) > [Entrepreneurship works on the apprenticeship model. The best way to learn how to be an entrepreneur is to start a company and seek the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/entrepreneurship-works-on-the-apprenticeship-model-the-best-way-to/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) > [Every place has a story - or a thousand stories. Findery brings places to life, be they where you stand or where you hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/every-place-has-a-story-or-a-thousand-stories-findery-brings-places/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) > [I approached Yahoo as a learning experience. Everything at every stage of the game affects what you do next. At Yahoo, I learned a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/i-approached-yahoo-as-a-learning-experience-everything-at-every-stage/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) > [Dream, struggle, create, prevail. Be daring. Be brave. Be loving. Be compassionate. Be strong. Be brilliant. Be beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/dream-struggle-create-prevail-be-daring-be-brave-be-loving-be/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) > [Vacations are good, and I come back energized, with the whiff of Hawaiian Tropic in the air and 2,000 messages in my Inbox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/vacations-are-good-and-i-come-back-energized-with-the-whiff-of/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) > [Because the Internet is a medium, it doesn't care whether it transmits love or hate. It is what we build and who we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/because-the-internet-is-a-medium-it-doesn-t-care-whether-it-transmits/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) > [Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/working-on-the-right-thing-is-probably-more-important-than-working/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) > [If the business were a play, Act One is: Woohoo, bright and bushy-tailed. We're going to make something great! Act Two is: We're six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/if-the-business-were-a-play-act-one-is-woohoo-bright-and-bushy-tailed/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) > [I was an eccentric teenager in suburban New Jersey, in a town mostly interested in sports, popularity, and clothes. A fan of Jorge Luis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/i-was-an-eccentric-teenager-in-suburban-new-jersey-in-a-town-mostly/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) > [When you have a failed pitch, you meet many more venture capitalists than you really want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/when-you-have-a-failed-pitch-you-meet-many-more-venture-capitalists/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) > [Make time less precious. We are way too efficient, making use of every hour, every minute. When you were a kid, didn’t you just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/make-time-less-precious-we-are-way-too-efficient-making-use-of-every/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) [Explore all 99 Caterina Fake quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) ## More Education quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/) [Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/) Ioannes Amos Commenius > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) H.D. (Hilda Doolittle > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) [Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A lot is gained through experience, but experience teaches some and not others. Effectiveness and excellence, whether or not they were attained by simply having the knack or through the school of hard knocks, is really what you want to reward.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Caterina Fake" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/a-lot-is-gained-through-experience-but-experience-teaches-some-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/a-lot-is-gained-through-experience-but-experience-teaches-some-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/caterina-fake-6230_education_a-lot-is-gained-through-experience-but-e_3113864.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/caterina-fake-6230_education_a-lot-is-gained-through-experience-but-e_3113864.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/caterina-fake-6230_education_a-lot-is-gained-through-experience-but-e_3113864.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A lot is gained through experience, but experience teaches some and not others. Effectiveness and…” — Caterina Fake", "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": "Caterina Fake", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A lot is gained through experience,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/a-lot-is-gained-through-experience-but-experience-teaches-some-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/a-lot-is-gained-through-experience-but-experience-teaches-some-and/#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 } } ] } ```