"I learnt pity, sympathy, and what it was like to be at the other end of the stick. Such lessons can't be learnt in lecture halls"

This quote by Lionel Blue speaks with the importance of learning through experience. He suggests that lessons such as pity, compassion, and understanding the perspective of others can not be taught in a lecture hall. Rather, these lessons need to be discovered through direct experience. This could mean experiencing a situation yourself, or observing somebody else's experience. Through this, we can get a deeper understanding of the world and the people around us. This understanding can help us to be more thoughtful and understanding of others. It can also assist us to be more aware of our own benefit and to utilize it to assist those who are less lucky. Eventually, Lionel Blue is suggesting that the best way to learn these important lessons is through direct experience.