I'm not sure I would want to debate between experience and textbooks, what teaches more and thankfully the topic asked for what experience has taught me better with no specific kind of experience I got mine from. All of my life, it's been about learning after learning and all that has given me more experiences that I have lost count of.
Indeed, experience is the best teacher but I would argue that there has to be a good learner for that experience to be the best.
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I've had experiences that I wish I didn't have to because there are better ways to learn it aside experiencing it first hand. Like the one I had to get a bad score in a course before I learnt that I need to study more to pass the course well enough. It wasn't that I didn't see others who were wasting off their time on other activities aside studying and they end up failing, I saw all that but I wasn't a good learner to learn from the experience played before me until I experienced it myself. And sadly, some experience are the worse to go through, you'd wish you didn't have to experience it first.
Another worst experience I wish I didn't had to experience was living without my mum. I've seen movies, I've heard of people who grew up without their parents, I've learned from them but experience had to be added to my learning when my mum left us years back. Living without my mum taught me and my family a lot more than necessary but then, I always wish that it never did happen even though I try to see the positivity in the whole experience.
Worst experiences teaches too but no, I'd prefer I didn't have to go through them. Luckily for me, I've been able to escape some as I find more learnings from books I read and watching people go through some phases in life.
And then, there are experiences that taught me more and I feel grateful about them. One I will remember all my life is having to take care of my siblings, and other kids that have been left under my care when there isn't an elder around. These experiences were not easy to go through but coming out of each of them only made me better and more knowledgeable about how it works and how to cope.
Other good experiences I've had was reading and actively following what I read from books and learn from others. I didn't had to experience it to make much mistakes since I had people living it already, I just became a good learner and learnt as much as I can and that makes me come off as a person who has had experiences about the situation.
Experience is the best teacher, reading and learning also teaches you well enough but most importantly, be ready to learn at all times because the tiny ants, nature teaches and most importantly guides (the Bible and other important books) teaches and if there isn't a learner, what use will they be of?
I can only be positive about every experience I am given so I can learn as much as I can and improve for the better.
