Meaning & Analysis
One piece of wisdom that has been paid for (i.e., 'bought' through experience) is more valuable than two pieces of wisdom that were acquired for free or with no effort.
Insights
Experience vs. Theory
The core metaphor contrasts knowledge gained from direct, often costly, personal experience ('wit bought') with theoretical advice or secondhand information ('two for nought'). It argues that lessons learned 'the hard way' are more profound and lasting.
Quality over Quantity
The proverb highlights the idea that true value is tied to investment. A single, hard-won lesson is of higher quality and greater practical use than multiple pieces of easily-acquired, superficial advice.
Self-Reliance in Learning
It serves as a commentary on self-reliance. The wisdom you purchase for yourself through your own mistakes and efforts is more reliable and meaningful than the wisdom handed to you by others.
Pragmatic Value of Experience
This proverb reflects a deeply pragmatic worldview, emphasizing that wisdom gained through personal experience, often at a significant cost (a 'purchase'), is more valuable than advice or knowledge acquired passively or for free. It champions the educational power of trial and error.
Psychology of Learning
Psychologically, the proverb aligns with the concept of 'effort justification'. Humans tend to place greater value on outcomes and knowledge that they have struggled to obtain. A lesson learned from a costly mistake is more deeply integrated and remembered than one that is simply told.
Educational Philosophy
The proverb speaks to an enduring debate in educational philosophy: experiential learning versus didactic instruction. It strongly favors the former, suggesting that true understanding ('wit') cannot be passively received but must be actively earned through engagement with the world.
The 'Cost' of Wisdom
The cross-reference 'Wit bought is better than wit taught' clarifies the meaning. The 'cost' is not necessarily monetary but the price of failure, hardship, or effort, which makes the resulting wisdom far more potent than theoretical instruction.
Rhetorical Devices
Antithesis
The proverb is built on the stark contrast between 'bought' (implying cost, value, and effort) and 'for nought' (implying freeness and lack of value).
Metaphor
'Wit' or wisdom is treated as a commodity that can be 'bought', not with money, but with the currency of experience, mistakes, and personal sacrifice.
Parallel Structure
The proverb uses a balanced, comparative structure ('Better one X than two Y') that makes its assertion clear, memorable, and rhetorically effective.
Transcription
Quotations
One Wit bought is worth two for naught. *Eng. Wit once bought is worth twice taught.
One Wit bought, Is worth two for naught.
Cross References
Annotations
- bought
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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