A wise man will make a mistake after a thousand considerations, and a fool will make a gain after a thousand considerations. This means that a smart person will always make a mistake among thousands of considerations; a stupid person will always make a mistake among thousands of considerations. There will be a harvest.
A wise man will make a mistake after thinking a lot; a fool will make a mistake after thinking a lot. This sentence comes from "Historical Records·Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin". This sentence contains a simple dialectical thought, indicating that everything is a unity. Divided into two, a smart person cannot always be smart, and he will also make mistakes. Only by treating mistakes correctly can we minimize them. On the contrary, even a seemingly stupid person may be smart sometimes, and as long as he learns, he will gain something.
Extended information
A wise man will surely lose something if he thinks a lot; a fool will gain something if he thinks a lot:
During the conflict between Chu and Han, Liu Bang, the king of Han, sent Han Xin led some troops to attack Zhao State eastward. After King Zhao heard about it, he and Chen Yu of Cheng'an Army gathered their troops at Jingxing Mountain Pass to prepare to meet the enemy. Li Zuoche, the staff officer of King Zhao, offered his advice: "This place in Jingxing cannot accommodate two vehicles traveling abreast, nor can it accommodate cavalry in formation. The logistics troops of the Han army must follow behind. If I were to lead troops to cut off their baggage by taking a small road, , within ten days, they will be defeated."
This was a good strategy, but King Zhao and Chen Yu did not adopt it. Han Xin was overjoyed when he heard the news, and secretly admired Li Zuoche's talent. So he offered a reward of a thousand gold and demanded that Li Zuoche should be captured alive. Soon, Han Xin defeated Zhao Jun. King Zhao was captured, Chen Yu was killed in battle, and Li Zuoche was captured alive by the Han army. He was taken to Han Xin's tent. Han Xin quickly untied him and asked him very politely: "I plan to attack Yan State in the north and Qi State in the east. How can I succeed?"
Li Zuoche was unwilling to talk more at first, saying: "I am just a defeated prisoner. How can I talk about such a thing?" Han Xin hurriedly said: "The Zhao army failed because King Zhao did not listen to your plan." . If he does what you say, I'm afraid I will become your prisoner. I sincerely want to hear your opinion, so please don't refuse."
This is what Li Zuoche said. He said bluntly: "You sent troops from Guanzhong, crossed the Yellow River to the east, destroyed Wei first, and then Zhao. You are famous all over the world. This is your current advantage. However, your current soldiers are quite tired. If you are eager to attack Yan , If you cannot win quickly and the time drags on, Qi will be fully prepared. At that time, your weaknesses will inevitably be exposed."
"A general who is good at using troops will always be exposed. To take advantage of your own strengths and take advantage of the opponent's weaknesses, you might as well rest and reorganize your army here first, and while building up momentum to attack Yan, send a very eloquent person to see the King of Yan with your letter, deliberately showing the strength of the Han army. , forcing the King of Yan to surrender, so that the King of Qi will be easy to deal with." When Han Xin heard this, he kept saying it was wonderful. Li Zuoche said modestly: "I heard someone say: A wise man thinks a lot. There must be a loss; a fool must have a gain. My suggestions may not be all suitable, just for your reference." Han Xin acted according to Li Zuoche's advice and succeeded.