Whenever someone touts their x years of experience as an excuse to avoid learning, I am quickly reminded of the words of King Frederick the Great of Prussia (r. 1740-1786) and the military experience of mules.
Frederick spent portions of his reign expanding and defending his small state against much larger French, Austrian, and Russian empires. During these campaigns and battles, he was not only the state sovereign, but also the commander-in-chief on the ground, planning and executing the wars of Prussia. He was also a continual learner.
Nearly 30 years into his reign, he stated, “Whoever wishes to master the art of war must study it continuously.” ((Quoted in Jay Luvaas, ed. and trans., Frederick the Great on the Art of War (New York: Da Capo Press, 1999), 46.)) Frederick followed his own advice. In his writings, there are numerous references to historical battles, campaigns, and commanders like Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), Hannibal (247-183 BC), and Julius Caesar (100-44 BC). In his declaration for studying war continuously, he continued,
By no means do I believe that I have exhausted it, but am rather of the opinion that one lifetime is not enough to attain this goal. For experience from one campaign to another has taught me new principles, and still there remain innumerable things that fate has given me no opportunity to experience. ((Quoted in Ibid., 46-47.))
At the time Frederick made this statement (1768), he was 56 years old. Not only had he gained and defended territory during the War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748), but he had also faced overwhelming odds during the Seven Years War (1756-1763) and kept his state intact. At this point in history, Frederick had performed the majority of the work that earned him “the Great” titled.
Frederick’s statements ring true for those in the military service and historians who stand outside it. Regardless of what we have experienced, we cannot experience all of it. This approach also rings true for most professions in this world.
Remarkably, this mindset was not something Frederick developed in his later years. Instead, he possessed it at a younger age. He often confronted officers who felt their experience was all they needed when it came to warfare. Those who possessed more experience were quick to point out how many campaigns they executed. Frederick addressed them,
What is the use of life if one merely vegetates? What is the point of seeing if one only crams facts into his memory? In brief, what good is experience if it is not directed by reflection. Vegetius [an ancient Roman writer] stated that war must be a study and peace an exercise, and he is right.
Experience deserves to be investigated, for it is only after repeated examination of what one has done that the artists succeed in understanding principles and in moments of leisure, in times of rest, that new material is prepared for experiment. Such investigations are the products of an applied mind, but this diligence is rare and, on the contrary, it is common to see men who have used all of their limbs without once in their lives having utilized their minds. Thought, the faculty of combining ideas, is what distinguishes man from a beast of burden. A mule who has carried a pack for ten campaigns under Prince Eugene [famous military commander from the Holy Roman Empire, 1663-1736] will be no better tactician for it, and it must be confessed, to the disgrace of humanity, that many men grow old in an otherwise respectable profession without making any greater progress than this mule.
To follow the routine of the service, to become occupied with the care of its fodder and lodging, to march when the army marches, camp when it camps, fight when it fights–for the great majority of officers this is what is meant by having served, campaigned, grown gray in the harness. For this reason one sees so many soldiers occupied with trifling matters and rusted by gross ignorance. Instead of soaring audaciously among the clouds, such men know only how to crawl methodically in the mire. They are never perplexed and will never know the causes of their triumphs or defeats. ((Quoted in Ibid., 47.))
While I am completing my degree, I work in software. I often encounter people who point toward their numerous years of experience when confronted with a new method to make software applications. Following Frederick’s lead, several of us are now pointing to pens, whiteboards, chairs, or whatever inanimate object that looks old to state, “This chair has more experience in the technology world than you.” It gets the message across.