Would you rather go through the pain and learn from your experiences or be attentive and learn from other people's mistakes?

I like reading quotes about life.

If others are experiencing it in front of your eyes how would this be theories?

@Lifeafterlove: because you still don't know how it really goes/feels. Seeing it is basically just grasping/ knowing the concept..which in a sense is just a theory because there are still other things that could happen