The difference between advice and wisdom
Advice is tactics. Wisdom is principles.
There’s a difference between advice and wisdom.
Anyone can offer advice. All you have to have is an opinion. Once you have that, you can go on giving all the advice you want.
It doesn’t even really matter if the advice is true or right or the best advice. Advice doesn’t have to be good to be advice. You just have to tell someone what you think they should do. It’s temporary, external, specific.
But wisdom is something fundamentally different. Wisdom is more broad. But it's hard-won. It’s deep. Internal. Often timeless. Wisdom has a price tag. It’s paid for in time and trials, mistakes and reflection.
We live in a world overflowing with advice. Everyone has a hack, a routine, or a quick fix for whatever you're going through. I deeply resonate with the lyrics to the song “Keep ’Em on They Toes” by Brent Cobb:
If you ever grow up
One thing you'll find
Most people that you meet
Just about out their mind
They try to tell you how to live
They try to tell you how to die
They tell you don't get too low, but don't get too high
The best thing you can do is don't listen too close
Walk on to your own beat
Keep 'em on they toes
“Keep ’Em on They Toes” by Brent Cobb
Wisdom isn’t just lots of advice stacked together. It’s not something you gain because you collected enough tips, life hacks, or hot takes.
Advice is someone’s opinion about what you should do. Wisdom is aligning your decisions with your values.
Advice is tactics. Wisdom is principles.
Wisdom doesn’t tell you exactly where to turn. It teaches you how to read the road you’ve found yourself on. Advice gets you through the next mile, but wisdom is what guides you from wherever you happen to be to where you ultimately want to go.
Advice is giving someone turn-by-turn directions.
Wisdom is giving someone a map and teaching them how to use it.