Mądry Polak po szkodzie
Listen
What it means
“A Pole is wise after the damage is done.” Poles (or people in general) tend to learn from mistakes only after suffering the consequences, not before. A self-deprecating proverb about hindsight wisdom.
English equivalent
Hindsight is 20/20. / Locking the stable door after the horse has bolted.
Vocabulary
- mądry — wise, clever
- szkoda — damage, harm, loss
- po — after (here: following)
Grammar note
'Po szkodzie' uses the locative of 'szkoda' after the preposition 'po' meaning 'after'.
Cultural context
One of the most famous Polish proverbs, often cited with a mixture of irony and self-awareness. It dates back to at least the 16th century.
Beginner
Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!
More Polish proverbs
- "A stepmother, even if made of sugar, is always bitter." No matter how kind a stepmother tries to …
- "For a wise head, two words are enough." A clever person needs only a brief hint to understand; …
- "The wise will accept advice; the fool will scorn it." Intelligent people are open to counsel, while …
- "The egg thinks it's wiser than the hen." Said when a younger or less experienced person presumes to …