“There is no education in the second kick of a mule”

“There’s no education in the second kick of a mule” is a proverb meaning that one should have learned the lesson the first time. L. Mendel Rivers (1905-1970), a Democratic U.S. Representative from South Carolina, used the saying many times. There is no education in the second kick of a mule,” Rivers was quoted in The State (Columbia, SC) on March 14, 1948. Rivers didn’t support the presidential election of Harry Truman in 1948. ““There is no education in a second kick, even if the mule comes from Missouri. I hope Harry Truman doesn’t run,” rivers was quoted in the St. Louis (MO) Star-Times on March 25, 1948.
 
Rivers supported Dwight Eisenhower (a Republican) for president in 1952, but didn’t support his re-election in 1956. “No education in the second kick of a mule,” Rivers said in May 1956.
 
“There is no education in the second kick of a mule” is a popular caution against making the same mistake again, but usage is still mostly in government and politics.
 
     
Wikipedia: L. Mendel Rivers
Lucius Mendel Rivers (September 28, 1905 – December 28, 1970) was a Democratic U.S. Representative from South Carolina, representing the Charleston-based 1st congressional district for nearly 30 years. He was chairman of the House Armed Services Committee as the U.S. escalated its involvement in the Vietnam War.
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Rivers’ long-held distrust of Republicans was reinforced shortly after Eisenhower became president when he ordered the desegregation of all schools on military bases and did not grant Rivers patronage privileges, despite Rivers being the only Democrat to support Eisenhower in 1952. Eisenhower’s continual push for integration infuriated Rivers. When asked if he would back Eisenhower again in 1956, Rivers later claimed to have responded “Hell no! Ain’t no education in the second kick of a mule.”
     
14 March 1948, The State (Columbia, SC), “Rivers Sees War If Red Capture Italy; Denounces Truman for Splitting US” by Thomas Chadwick,  pg. 5-E, col. 2:
(L. Mendel Rivers.—ed.)
“Tragic days lie ahead for the ship of state. The ship of state needs to keep an even keel. There is no education in the second kick of a mule.”
 
25 March 1948, St. Louis (MO) Star-Times, “Truman Says He Isn’t Worried About A Party ‘Revolt,’ Declares A Fight To The Finish” by Harry D. Wohl, pg. 8, col. 1:
One outspoken dissident, Rep. L. Mendel Rivers of South Carolina, said:
 
“There is no education in a second kick, even if the mule comes from Missouri. I hope Harry Truman doesn’t run. When he went into the White House he asked the American people to pray for him. Now the American people are praying—but not for Harry Truman.”
 
18 May 1956, The News and Courier (South Carolina, SC), “U.S. Supreme Court Is Denied At Meeting Of Citizens Councils, pg. 7-B, col. 1:
Referring to his early espousal of some of the policies of the Eisenhower administration, Rivers (Rep. L. Mendel Rivers, D., SC—ed.) said he had found out there is “No education in the second kick of a mule.”
 
18 January 1958, The News and Courier (South Carolina, SC), “Rivers Predicts South To Prosper Despite Reds and U.S. Troops,’” pg. 7-B, col. 7:
Reminding himself that he had backed and voted for Eisenhower in 1952, Rivers (Rep. L. Mendel Rivers, D., SC—ed.) quipped: “You can bet I didn’t vote for him in 1956. There ain’t no education in the second kick of a mule.”
 
15 March 1959, Chicago (IL) Daily Tribune, “Washington Scrapbook” by Walter Trohan, pt. 1, pg. 28, col. 6:
“We never considered it again after it was defeated on the floor of the House some years ago,” Rivers (Rep. L. Mendel Rivers, D., SC—ed.) said. “There’s no education in the second kick of a mule.”
 
Google Books
The Public Papers of Governor Bert T. Combs: 1959—1963
Edited by George W. Robinson
Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky
1979
By Bert T. Combs
Pg. 29:
But it must be said for Combs that he seldom repeated a mistake. “There is no education in the second kick of a mule,” he liked to say, and he seldom if ever required it.
   
27 May 2001, Washington (DC) Post, “A Crack in Bush’s Governance” by David Broder, pg. B7:
Sam Rayburn liked to say that “there’s no education in the second kick of a mule.”
 
Quotes I Found
Sunday, July 02, 2006
There is No Education in the Second Kick of a Mule
There is no education in the second kick of a mule.
—Author Unknown
posted by Brook at 12:06 AM
 
Google Books
When the Good Pensions Go Away:
Why America Needs a New Deal for Pension and Health Care Reform
By Thomas J. Mackell
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons
2008
Pg 28:
Sam Rayburn, the Speaker of the House through much of the 1940s and 1950s, used to say that, “There’s no education in the second kick of a mule.”
     
Twitter
Jim Carl
‏@jcarl2020
“There is no education in the second kick of a mule”.  John McCain’s answer when asked about running for high office again.
9:40 AM - 8 May 2016