it is not enough to learn how to ride, you must also learn how to fall
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
One must prepare for failures as well as successes.
Literally: learning to fall off a horse
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “it is not enough to learn how to ride, you must also learn how to fall” mean?
One must prepare for failures as well as successes. Literally: learning to fall off a horse
Is “it is not enough to learn how to ride, you must also learn how to fall” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.