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We Can Always Learn
What does it really mean to listen? Sometimes we hear the words another person is saying, but our thoughts are already busy preparing a response. Other times, we may decide whether someone's words are worth hearing before we have truly given them a chance. Yet every person we meet has experiences, knowledge, and thoughts that may teach us something. We will not agree with everything we hear, nor does every opinion have the same value. But when we listen with patience and an open mind, we may discover a helpful thought or a different way of looking at something.
Listening takes more than simply hearing words. It means giving another person our attention and taking time to consider what is being said. When we listen only for ideas that agree with our own, we may miss an opportunity to learn. In We Can Always Learn, Strickland Gillilan reminds us that no one knows everything, but everyone knows something. Even in words we may be tempted to dismiss, there can be what he calls "grains of truth." His message is a good reminder that wisdom sometimes comes from people and places we least expect.
Like many Famous Poems that share lessons about everyday life, this poem encourages us to listen patiently, remain willing to learn, and remember that every person may have something worthwhile to teach us.
Updated August 19, 2026, by Catherine Pulsifer.
We Can Always Learn
Poet: Strickland Gillilan
No man is wholly foolish, just as none is wholly wise;
The world has precious few extremes, you'll find if you'll examine.
The man who's partly deaf, you'll note, has extra useful eyes
This "wholly helpless" notion is the plainest sort of gammon.
You hear a fellow work his mouth from morning's break till night,
You're sure he's saying nothing, you condemn him without ruth.
But listen patiently to him his chatter is a fright,
But 'mid the rubbish he emits you'll find some grains of truth.
There's none so big a fool but that he knows some things that you
Or even I could scarce find out in all our life or longer.
There's none so wise but if you probe his depths an hour or two,
You'll see a lot of little points on which he might be stronger.
So you, though you be foolish yes, and I, though I be wise!
Had best leave off in later years the rashness of our youth
And learn to listen even when the pinhead's spindrift flies
Amid the chaff his voice gives forth will be some grains of truth.
Key Reflections In This Poem
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Everyone Can Teach Us Something
No one knows everything, and no one is without something worthwhile to share. When we remain open to others, we may learn something we did not know before.
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Listening Takes Patience
It is easy to stop listening when we disagree with someone or think we already know what they are going to say. Patience gives us the opportunity to hear the thought behind the words before deciding what value it may hold.
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Wisdom Can Come From Unexpected Places
A helpful thought does not always come from the person we expect. Sometimes a simple comment or a different point of view can give us something valuable to think about.
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We Never Stop Learning
No matter our age or experience, there is always more to learn. Life becomes richer when we are willing to listen, consider new ideas, and recognize that we can learn from one another.
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Conclusion
We Can Always Learn reminds us that wisdom is not found in thinking we already know all the answers. It is found in being willing to listen, consider what others have to say, and recognize that every person may know something we do not. We may not agree with every word we hear, but when we listen with patience and an open mind, we give ourselves the opportunity to find those "grains of truth" that can help us learn and grow.
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