Proverbs 15:22 - Meaning and Application

See here, first, how harmful it is to act too quickly and without advice. People’s plans are disappointed, their efforts are broken, and they miss their goal because they would not ask counsel about the right way forward. If people will not take time to think carefully for themselves, or if they are so sure of their own judgment that they refuse to consult others, they are unlikely to accomplish anything of real value. Small things they might have foreseen and avoided with a little thought end up defeating them.

It is a good rule, in both public and private matters, to do nothing hastily or on your own idea alone. More eyes see more than one eye. What turns out best is often what was least the product of our own planning.

Second, see how much advantage there is in asking the advice of friends. In a large number of counselors, if they are wise and honest and do not give advice out of a stubborn spirit, plans are made firm. Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, did not make good use of this proverb when he rejected the advice of the older men. Instead, because he wanted a large number of counselors and cared more about quantity than wisdom, he listened to the younger men.