There’s always an easy way and a hard way to learn something, but usually, somebody else had to experience the hard way for us to know the easy way. After all, you can learn on your own about the minimum distance needed to safely light fireworks, but it’s much easier to just ask the guy with no eyebrows.
Plus, those who learned the hard way are more likely to feel like their sacrifice wasn’t in vain if we manage to avoid the same mistakes they made.
At least, I hope that’s true, because these people have a lot of wisdom to give us now.
1. If a design takes up the full sock, it’s probably gonna look way different on your feet than it does on the rack.

I’m not saying you can’t have a great time walking around on this bizarre owl-cat, but you have fair warning now.
2. Just because it’s possible to put the sun shade down whenever you want doesn’t mean there aren’t times where it’s kind of off-limits.

This is why it’s important to call shotgun as soon as possible. The driver doesn’t get the same privileges.
Life’s unfair, I know.
3. Thinking outside the box is great and all, but it turns out there is a right and wrong way to ride a motorcycle.

Our bold inventor may scoff at my lack of vision now, but he might change his tune when that thing tips over.
4. While we’re at it, there’s a reason why kayaks are built the way they are, too.

Unless this guy is about to joust another kayak that’s just out of the frame, this probably won’t end well for him.
Eh…it probably still won’t, either way.
5. Sometimes it’s best to swallow our pride and cut these bananas apart instead of using our brute strength.

This isn’t like when we bring our groceries inside in one trip — it has serious consequences! This would take far too many banana splits for one person!
6. The fewer jobs you try completing in the dark, the more of them you can confidently say you meant to do.

I guess it’s not impossible to start a tanned pits trend, but the same can’t be said for shaving cream shampoo.
Heed these wise words, folks.
7. You can’t trust a GPS all the time, but this is what happens when you get too distracted by calling it a pushy little weenie.

Whether you end up doing this or listening to it say “recalculating” 40 times, the price is just too high.
Patience, friends.
8. I’ll admit that decimal points are often the punchline when our bank balance is a cruel joke, but that doesn’t mean we can always ignore them.

That is, at least not until science finds a way to intimidate screws into putting themselves in.
Then this’ll be fine.
9. Oof, this poor soul just finished learning this culinary step the hard way — twice.

Following the tragic sight of a pizza imploding with the sage insults of Gordon Ramsay is as much a treat for the eyes as this mess is for the stomach.
10. He may not know it yet, but life has a way of teaching go-getters like this that they’re not too cool for chairs at the worst possible times.

No noobs will be pwned in the sad moments after this duct tape finally gives out. That’s war, folks.
11. Unfortunately, not everything can be delegated to somebody else.

I’m sure this guy’s friends had no intention of letting this happen, but we can’t predict how focused we’ll be when a car with a very happy dog in it pulls by.
I’m sorry, we’re only human.
12. I’m afraid it won’t be long before these people learn that it’s way more refreshing to drink this stuff than it is to wear it.

That is, unless a lot more people go to the beach to feel like a movie theater floor than I realized.
13. And it looks like this girl had to learn that looking fresh in the pool can come at a price.

In this case, that price is having to explain that, yes, the tattoos are real. The photographer took this from the other side and flipped the picture.
14. This person learned that apparently, it’s possible to drive down the road with an entire trash kingdom on top of your car.

That may not seem like a hard lesson, but it will be for everybody who ends up driving behind them.
15. I’m not sure what somebody learned here, other than that it’s not possible to keep out Superman with a guard rail.

Actually, I think I’ll learn the hard lesson once a truck driver hits this instead of crashing into a bridge. Good ideas can look dumb.
16. Sadly, this person is about to learn that not every situation calls for multitasking.

Also, if they want to do sit-ups while they’re riding a motorcycle, are they sure they don’t just want a bike? I’m pretty sure that exercise is half the point of owning one.
17. So, it looks like life has served up a couple of hard lessons here.

Our chargeless wonder here has learned not to trust anyone, while the fiend responsible for this will learn what can happen when this person finally gets their phone back up to 100%.
18. Always remember this important tip, folks: When you finish laying down sod, guard it with your life.

After all, you never know what could come barreling through to ruin it. It was either this truck or an entire marching band.
There’s no in-between.
19. Yeah, it turns out that Instagram models have a lot better balance then the rest of us have realized.

And while we’re learning things, we can apparently add “Wait until the water warms up a bit before you take a cute photo” to the list.
20. Well, this is different. I didn’t realize it was possible to ride a horse as erratically as one can drive a car.

Apparently, no mode of transportation is safe from having to sheepishly explain that a bug flew in your eye to the cops.
21. If this is actually a bench, somebody learned the value of sitting on your designs before you ship them out.

If this is art and wasn’t intended as a seat, somebody underestimated how creatively lazy the rest of us are.
I can lounge on that upward spike.
22. While this is very good advice, I’d personally understand if you don’t want to follow it.

It may not make for a good panorama, but someone out there is probably always looking for a picture that gives everyone the impression they’re midway through hulking out.
23. You’re gonna be in for a rough ride if you spend more time checking whether people have googled these “proofs” than you do watching the road.

You’ll also be in for a rough ride outside the car if you start thinking the earth is flat.
24. Don’t let this happen to you, folks. Always hold your hair before you adjust your headrest.

Otherwise, you’ll not only learn how much it hurts when you pull away, but also that your friends are more likely to take a picture than warn you.