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← Aṅguttara Nikāya

Mistakes

AN 3.4 · Accayasutta

Mountain ridgelines receding into mist beyond a quiet alpine meadow.

“A fool is known by three things. What three? They don’t recognize when they’ve made a mistake. When they do recognize it they don’t deal with it properly. And when someone else confesses a mistake to them, they don’t accept it properly.

These are the three things by which a fool is known.

An astute person is known by three things. What three? They recognize when they’ve made a mistake. When they recognize it they deal with it properly. And when someone else confesses a mistake to them, they accept it properly.

These are the three things by which an astute person is known. So you should train …”

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Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0

This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.

Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.