Prudence vs Impulsive vs Overcautious

I used to think someone who is a prude was short for prudent. It turns out that the words are not related. Welcome to the melting pot of the English language. I was searching for ways to be a better man. Why not start with the four cardinal virtues? Courage, temperance, justice, and prudence. These are the foundation / backbone of all the other virtues. It didn’t take long for me to realize how little I possessed but also in our culture at large. The rest of the world is not under my control. We have to start with the person in the mirror.

Some great thinkers consider prudence to be the cornerstone of the cardinal virtues. It is not my intent to debate which one is more important. The question is how much I am. One definition of prudence is “practical wisdom”. Dig into your history. Are you practical? Are there many stories of wisdom? What is practical wisdom anyway? Most people you encounter on the street thinks of themselves as practical and wise. I did.

One day my wise and practical self went out with some friends and started drinking. The drinks flowed like a river. The ladies were present and I got a couple phone numbers. I’m wasted.

Practical and wise decision time.

Should you?

A. Drive home, save $40, and risk life, property and jail.

B. Sleep it off in my truck, save $40, and do not risk life, property or jail.

C. Call a taxi or ride sharing service, spend $40, and do not risk life, property or jail

Wise and practical me says A. You are fine and save some money. Nobody or anything will get hurt.

Practical and wise decision 2.

Should you?

A. Contact one of those girls while driving to see what they are up to.

B. Contact both of those girls while driving to see what they are up to.

C. Go home.

D. Pull over and sleep it off or call for a ride.

Genius and completely practical me decided on B. Both of those girls needed to hear from me.

If your current level of practical wisdom hasn’t taught you through pain, do not worry, it comes. While mid text, I hit the curb on the passenger side at about 55 mph. I’m fortunate that I was able to maintain any control while coming to a stop. I get out and both passenger tires and rims are in pieces.

Practical and wise decision 3.

Should you?

A. Abandon the vehicle in the middle of the road, risk others’ lives and property to avoid a DUI.

B. Drive a hundred yards to a parking lot.

C. Stay on road and risk a DUI.

Please note there are no wise choices, only practical.

B it is. I get to the parking lot of a local hospital. I have one spare.

Practical and wise decision 4

Should you?

A. Leave the vehicle to get towed, risk no more life and property except a tow charge and a taxi charge.

B. Change the one tire and drive on 1 flat with shattered rim, risk life and property again and jail.

C. Set the truck on fire, leave the scene, and call it in as stolen in the morning. Final property loss and possible jail for fraud.

B again for the win! See how wise I was?

Nobody got hurt that night by the grace of God.

Practical and wise decision 5

Should you?

A. Quit drinking.

B. Drink but not drive.

C. Drink and drive again.

The answer was C. I could make all kinds of excuses and claim applied wisdom in my life.

There is reasoning taking place. The choices are a reflection of the current value system. What values are on display?

I look at my history and see lots of practical but not so wise. So prudence is lacking. There is many examples of foolishness. What is true prudence anyway? How can you be less of a fool and more like the wise? How do you apply it?

Your experiences may be more or less extreme. The key is it applies to all areas. Applied wisdom will improve health, money, relationships, and spiritual life. Which area of your life shows the lack?

Prudence is the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason.¹

“intelligence; discretion, foresight; practical wisdom to see what is suitable or profitable;” also one of the four cardinal virtues, “wisdom to see what is virtuous;” from Old French prudence (13c.) and directly from Latin prudentia “a foreseeing, foresight, sagacity, practical judgment,” contraction of providentia “foresight” ; ²

Let’s start with practical. This is not theory but practice which is an action. Practice is repetition over time which equates to experience. Your 13 year old child doesn’t have the life experience. Should a 13 year old child run a country or even a household? If you ask your child, they generally think you are an idiot and things would be better if done their way.

There is also the 50 year old that is still practicing the same error they had when they were 13. This is the individual who practices wrong and never corrects their error. Where is the wisdom in that? Therein lies the issue. Wisdom must be present as opposed to foolishness. You can get wisdom if you learn the lessons from your foolishness. Therein lies the paradoxical beauty. Remember when you were 13 and you thought your parents were idiots? Then you got older and from experience you learn that you were a fool at that age. You gain knowledge in specific categories and their consequences. Then you adapt that knowledge to new or novel situations. Take the general knowledge in one category and apply it to a particular instance. One of wisdom’s ingredients is time. It is not instant. It increases over time. Time does not need wisdom but wisdom needs time. It is not guaranteed. You must learn the lessons of the past, adapt and project them into the future. Consider its benefits but also its costs and consequences. This is a key issue that separates humans from other animals. They live instinctual from moment to moment. The antelope still hasn’t grown or built armor, or walls to keep safe from lions. If you remove reason from humanity, we will live moment to moment like the instinct driven animal. Live for the day; tomorrow be damned. You think about your next physical desire and attempt to fulfill it. You distort need and want while only considering the short term. It is usually only in consideration of the self and not how it affects others. What if you cheat, how will it affect the ones you tell that you love? What if you lie to take the easy way out? It removes present discomfort, but when it comes out, and it usually does, you get caught. You betrayed the one you claim to love. What if you binge on food, drink, or chemicals for days, then weeks that lead to years?

If you are practical and wise from many years of experience, and you aim towards evil, you are not prudent. You are cunning or crafty. A key ingredient is to aim towards an objective moral good. Practiced repetition, lessons learned, and lessons applied to deceive someone, is not virtue.

“But I don’t scam people! I don’t lie to my loved ones!” Fantastic. Does your resume display wisdom or lack in each department? Mental, financial, social, physical, or spiritual? To earn the badge of prudent, it must be pervasive. This is not perfection but a consistent application in all areas of your life. What areas do you lack in? What needs work? You may already know the answer. If you are unsure, ask God for clarity and prepare for the answer. This method usually only works if you are actually seeking the truth.

Some view prudence as caution. The terms are related. Prudence is the mean between extremes of caution – too little and too much. Impulsiveness is too little. Overcautious is too much.

Prudence is the pervasive trait of practical wisdom to achieve a moral good over time.

Reflect on your love life. Do you exhibit it in your choices of mate or conduct? Do you learn the lessons from your previous negative choices so you don’t repeat? Or do you keep repeating and making excuses? If you are repeating, you may need to surround yourself with wise or wiser council. People who make poor choices are rarely surrounded by wise people.

How about finance? Do you spend more than you earn? If you do invest, is it impulsive or with the right balance of risk and reward in mind? Find good financial counselors. I recommend any of Dave Ramsey’s books. (I don’t get paid for this recommendation although it would be sweet if I did.)

Look at your family. Do you strike the right balance of virtue towards them? Is your children above your spouse? Is your business above all? Should you say everything that comes to mind because you feel like it?

Your coworkers…Should you repeat that information about someone? What is the better attitude to have towards them or your task?

What about your spiritual life? Do you even have one? If so, what are your actions? Are you overcautious with little action? Or are they impulsive before you are ready?

What would your history look like if it had been more prudent? What will your future look like if you apply that trait? What in your present life can you change?

1. Merriam Webster. (2025). prudence. In The Merriam Webster Online Dictionary (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prudence)

2. https://www.etymonline.com/word/prudence