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Could somebody explain the meaning of that proverb? Internet says that this is a proverbe québécois, but I was unable to find its meaning.

So I can only suppose it means that if I don't learn the lessons of life then I doom myself to make the same mistakes again and again (until I lose my mind)? Am I right?

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    I was unable to find any examples of people using this proverb, rather than just citing it as a proverb.
    – Peter Shor
    Commented Sep 10 at 13:49
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    Commented Sep 12 at 9:01

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Édito B1, guide pédagogique Édito B1, Guide pédagogique, à la p. 254, réf. p. 161

Donc c'est « apprendre » dans le sens de « tirer » ou « comprendre » sa leçon. Même si cet emploi d'apprendre sa leçon m'est familier, je ne connais pas ce « proverbe ».

Donc oui tu as raison.

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  • Comme je vois il n'y a ce "proverbe" que dans la 2e édition de "Édito B1".
    – Old Skull
    Commented Sep 11 at 6:55
  • The text is misleading : on apprend de ses leçons. I never hears this (Canadian?) proverb.
    – Graffito
    Commented Sep 11 at 10:39
  • @Graffito, here's a screenshot. I'm not arguing, just show it as it is presented in a book.
    – Old Skull
    Commented Sep 11 at 11:05
  • @Graffito Il n'a pas appris sa leçon etc. to mean the equivalent of the phrasing you allude to is typical in Canadian French, that's why I included the link. This ends up being what is peculiar about this proverb and this is probably what Édito should have discussed instead of the proverb per se. I'm from Québec and never heard it either, but it may be used in the rest of the country or what not.
    – 0-One-0
    Commented Sep 11 at 11:24
  • @OldSkull It's all good, this turned up to be an interesting take on a regional usage of the verb. This is what fools readers not familiar with this and leads to misunderstanding the meaning of this. Anyways, cheers.
    – 0-One-0
    Commented Sep 11 at 11:30
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According to one source, this adage is found in some books (Édito B1).

It is translated there as "Better to learn your lessons than to lose your mind".

In other words "It's better to learn than to become crazy.", which is not what is really meant. In this sentence, "raison" in the usual "perdre la raison" has to be understood in a more literal fashion (and metonimically).

(TLFi) b) P. méton. Caractère de ce qui est conforme à la logique, au bon sens; signification raisonnable de quelque chose. Synon. sens.

  • Cette critique, pleine de raison, de sel et d'esprit (Jouy, Hermite, t. 4, 1813, p. 38).Toutes les paroles de Jeanne [d'Arc] qui nous ont été transmises respirent la plus ardente pitié, mais sont empreintes aussi d'un bon sens exquis, d'une raison parfaite (Coppée, Bonne souffr., 1898, p. 147).Il n'y a pas un brin de raison dans tout ce que vous dites (Duhamel, Suzanne, 1941, p. 76):
  • Comment s'étonner si le public reste indifférent et froid devant des œuvres vides d'idées, trop souvent dépourvues de raison, et que l'on ne saurait estimer qu'au prix qu'elles ont coûté? « C'est fort cher, donc ce doit être beau. » Viollet-Le-Duc, Arch

It is necessary to interpret "raison" as "bon sens".

  • Il vaut mieux apprendre ses leçons que de perdre son bon sens.

The fact that one is trifling with a usual fixed phrase "perdre la raison" could be found detrimental a full acceptation of this adage as good French, but this sort of process seems to be accepted more and more nowadays.

Incidentally, the mingling of the two notions is not so inconceivable: the people in this video could in fact be said to have literally almost lost their mind, and that is obviously so because they never learned their lessons (to the point of almost not being able think any more).

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  • The sentence is indeed in the 2018 edition of Édito B1 (Didier) but there's no translation in the book. It's just there to make the students talk. It is in the section "Drôle d'expression" of the chapter La philo au bac, fantasmes et réalité. All there is is: « Vaut mieux apprendre sa leçon que perdre la raison. » (proverbe québécois) - Que signifie ce proverbe d 'après vous ? - Quelle est l'expression dans votre langue pour dire la même chose ? Unless your "there" was meant for hinative, which to my mind is not a reliable source.
    – None
    Commented Sep 10 at 18:24
  • @None The translation is given in HiNative; I reformated. I am not saying the source is entirely reliable, but it makes sense, and that's one more opinion towards a consensus. Anyway, I think this expression is more or less self-understandable and I agree with him.
    – LPH
    Commented Sep 10 at 18:26
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    @LPH, so basically "it's better to be smart than to be stupid" ? Literally an advice to learn and become educated?
    – Old Skull
    Commented Sep 10 at 19:09
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    @OldSkull I wouldn't say "smart" and "stupid" but rather "knowledgeable enough and trained to think" and "ignorant and sluggish of thought", but yes, that has to be, in my opinion, an advice to learn and become educated.
    – LPH
    Commented Sep 10 at 19:17
  • [an advice to learn=no; in any case, advice is taken or rejected]. [LPH: acceptance] This: "Better to learn your lesson than to lose your mind" is basically the explanation in the previous answer. No se. We say to learn a lesson in English. Not usually in the plural. My translation in the comment was probably better.
    – Lambie
    Commented Sep 11 at 15:13

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