Even the knowledge of my own fallibility cannot keep me from making mistakes. Only when I fall do I get up again.

Awareness of your own tendency to err does not stop the errors. Self-knowledge helps, but much real learning seems to happen only after the fall itself, when the consequence has been felt rather than merely anticipated. That can be discouraging if you hoped foresight would spare you. It can also be steadying, because it means stumbling is not a sign you failed to learn; it is often how the learning arrives.

When you catch yourself repeating a mistake you already understood in theory, try being patient rather than contemptuous. Look at what happened in detail, get back on your feet, and take the next step with that particular lesson in hand.