Proverbs 19:25

The man who insults other people might not learn from his punishment. In English, we say that this man has a ‘closed mind’. This means that he refuses to learn from anyone else. But other people can learn when they see this man’s punishment.

Simple people do wrong things, because they have not learned to be wise. Simple people will learn when the evil man receives his punishment. They will see the punishment. So they will realise that the man is evil. They will learn that the man’s actions were wrong. So they themselves will begin to learn wisdom. In English, we say that simple people have an ‘empty mind’. This means that they have learned little yet. But they might learn if they get a shock.

If a wise man does something wrong, then you should correct him. Because he is wise, he will learn from the correction. He will become even wiser. In English, we say that such a man has an ‘open mind’. That is, he wants to learn, even if the truth is painful.