sadder but wiser

Idioms  

1. Unhappy but having learned from one's mistakes, as in Sadder but wiser, she's never going near poison ivy again. The pairing of these two adjectives was first recorded in Samuel Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798).

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Example Sentences

He has a sadder but wiser knowledge of how the American intelligence machine works and who it’s working for.

From New York Times

Over the four decades since Dr. Alloy and Dr. Abramson published their paper, the “sadder but wiser” idea has not guided emerging treatments.

From New York Times

This idea, summarized in the original paper as “sadder but wiser,” has been taught to decades of Intro Psych students and cited more than two thousand times by other scholars.

From New York Times

The new administration will begin its Middle East policymaking sadder but wiser.

From Washington Post

For now, Dr. Walker said, he and many others are sadder but wiser about using anti il-6 drugs to treat Covid patients.

From New York Times