The values that define the character of people are often preserved in proverbs, stories and words of wisdom handed down from generation to generation. Armenian proverbs and teaching stories have served as useful tools to educate new generations the accumulated wisdom of their ancestors. One can understand a people by their stories and words of wisdom.

There is one proverb that may summarize the learning experience: It says

Ahmehn pohrtzank mehg khuhrahd eh, votch pohrtzank guh vehrchanah, votch khuhraduh

“Every trying experience is a lesson. The experiences will never end, nor will the lessons to be learned.”

Life is full of experiences and lessons to be learned. For example, a child may play with matches. The fascination with striking a match and igniting a flame may seem irresistible to a curious child. For an inexperienced young child, playing with matches may be very dangerous. The child can burn himself or set fire to a house and cause damage or death or both. If an adult sees the child playing with matches, he may scold or spank the child or even dramatically show the child what happens when playing with matches. Out of a sense of tough love, the adult may light a match and bring it close enough to slightly burn the finger of the child. Once the child can understand how dangerous it is playing with matches, there is a good chance he will no longer want to play recklessly with them knowing well that he will be punished and perhaps burned again.

It is said:

Ahntzuhrehvuh eench ahnee kahreen, khuhraduh eench ahnee chahreen

What good is it if the rain falls on a rock? What good is advice for a bad or foolish person?

Because a child may not understand good advice, it may be necessary to scold, spank and punish to make the point. Spare the rod and spoil the child does not help the child to be well educated, disciplined and responsible. But one should not terrorize or scare the child.
One can be affectionate all the time, but still teach a child discipline and responsibility. It is said:

Ahrantz seerehl seerd chee gah

Without love or fondness, there is no heart to encourage and uplift.

Children need to be continually supervised because if they are left on their own, they may inadvertently do something that endangers them. It is said:

Yehrehkhaheen kohrtzee teer, yehdehvehn kuhnah

Give a child a task, but carefully observe his work.

It takes time and patience to train a child and repetition is necessary. In fact, it is said:

Khelokeen meg, ahnkhelkeen hahzahr ou mehg

One time is enough for a wise person, but a thousand and one times may be necessary for the uneducated.

Basic values of life are best learned in childhood with good training. It is said:

Gahtee hed muhdahdzuh, hohqou hed tuhrsuh

What is learned in childhood will remain until death (literally this proverb says “what enters while drinking milk, will exit with the soul”).

Without learning lessons of wisdom, we may easily be discouraged by the difficulties we encounter in life such as sickness, old age, death, natural catastrophes, political events, etc. It is said:

Yes kez khuhrahd, ell chuh tzahness gudahvuhhahd

I will give you wisdom, so that you will not be discouraged and hopeless.

People become discouraged when they cannot see any way to improve their situation in life. They end up hopeless. Receiving wisdom, however, gives people a sense of empowerment by which they can understand the reasons for their difficulties and how to rectify the situation. It is said:

Muhdik uhreh mehdzeen khuhrad vor chee hasni portzank vuhrhat

Listen to the advice of elders so that misfortune does not come upon you.
(Listen to elder’s advice, so that you avoid misfortune and vice.)

Respect for elders especially father and mother and grandparents, uncle and aunties, and elders in general especially spiritual teachers is the beginning of the learning process. Without such respect, one will not be ready to accept knowledge from the accumulated wisdom of previous generations. Lacking respect for elders one will vacillate toward unqualified persons for inspiration and advice or example. It is said:

Lav eh eemashdoun marthoun karereh guhrrelh
Kahn teh unmuhdkeen kineen khuhmelh

It is better to carry the rocks of a wise man
Than to drink the wine of a fool

Fools rush in where angels fear to thread. Fools never take the time to think carefully about the consequences of their acts. They make quick decisions and often are attracted to immediate gratifications rather than long term benefits materially and spiritually. What the fool may do in the end, the wise man does in the beginning. Wise men will learn from other’s mistakes, but fools, by their own. It is said:

Kohar muh keen ounee, pari khuhradmuh uhnkeen eh

A precious jewel has a price, but good advice is priceless.

Good advice is priceless because it can save so much time, trouble, heartache and even death. Good advice can be accepted or rejected. If a man is drowning in a well and someone throws a rope down. He must take hold of the rope to be saved. It is said
“He was slain that had warning, not he that took it.”
If we want good advice but refuse to follow it, then we cannot expect good results. What use is it to see a doctor and get medicine for an ailment, then go home and throw it in the trash. It is said:
Jahnahchelh eemastoutioun yehv khuhrahd, eemahnahl ayn pahrehr vor gouhdahn hahsgatzoghoutioun
To know wisdom and instruction, and to perceive words of understanding.
This was the first sentence translated into Armenian from the Bible (Prov 1:1) soon after the invention of the Armenian alphabet in AD 405. To acquire understanding about the purpose of life and how to attain it while living a good life free of vice and unnecessary suffering brought on by ignorance is the purpose of knowledge and wisdom.
Real learning begins with humility. It is said:
hahmesht yegheer vor sohrvees – Be humble so that you can learn
huhnazahnt yegheer vor hedehvees – be obedient so you can follow
sahd luhsseh yehv keetch khosseh – listen much and talk little
hahrtz uhreh yehv badashkhan luhsseh – ask questions and listen to the answers
muhdahdzeh ou yertoum ehrreh – think deeply and make a vow
misht sheedak jahmpah hedeveh – always walk the straight path (the path of knowledge and virtue)
Seeking out a genuine knowledgeable person and humbly listening to his or her advice is the beginning of learning. It is said:
Yegheer keedounee kehree, mee leeneerh ahnkedeen seerehlee
Become the servant of the wise man rather than the sweetheart of the fool.
Learn to listen to the wise person attentively without any distraction. It is said:
Yehs kehz pahn yem ahsoum, eehssk tou pahmbak ehss kuhzoum
I am trying to tell you something, but you are combing raw cotton.
(To make conventional cotton wool or thread, the cotton is harvested, cleaned to remove dirt and seeds, and then carded. Carding separates the fibers and roughly lines them up, so that they all lie in the same direction. The cotton is divided into slivers, hanks of raw cotton which are spun into thread or wool. When cotton is combed, fine brushes are used to pull out any remaining impurities, along with short cotton fibers. Approximately 15% of the volume is removed, leaving behind only long, straight fibers which are even and aligned. The slivers of combed cotton are then spun into thread.)
If one remains always inattentive, there will never be any lessons learned. It is said:
Ehssuh kahrasoun ahnkam yehrusahlem eh kuhnatzehr, ehli ehs eh munatzehr
The donkey went to Jerusalem forty times, and still remained a (dumb) donkey
There is a saying: “Man is known to be mortal by two things, sleep and lust.” One can remain asleep to what is the real purpose of life even though awake and functioning as if normal. This is due to bad habits that divert the mind from self realization to self gratification. It is said:
Akhkadoutiyan badjaruh yerrek – Khoumarji, zennehji, keenovnahl
There are three causes of poverty: gambling, womanizing, and drinking.
One remains poor materially and spiritually. Material poverty is not a crime. As long as one maintains “bahdeev” or honor, self-respect and moral rectitude, they can function and by the grace of God they will somehow make ends meet.
It is said: Lahv eh keetch, kahn votch eench “ better something than nothing
But, as soon as one becomes addicted to low class behavior such as intoxication, gambling and philandering, a steady downward spiral takes place. It is said: Women, wine, game and deceit, lowers one to shame and defeat. Bad habits and bad friends will cause one to lose good qualities such as honesty, self-control, patience, tolerance, compassion,etc.
It is said:
Halal mahzuh chee guhduhrvee, hahrahm kehrahnuh guh gohduhrvee
One single hair of a good person cannot be cut, but a thick column (belonging to a sinful person) can be easily broken (the literal translation of the Armenian is: righteous hair cannot be cut, a sinful column can be broken).
Mahrtuh shohrohv eh keghyeghcheek, khosskuhn ahradzoh
A man is handsome due to his clothes, speech with proverbs of wisdom