There’s a difference between having opinions and having earned them.

Experience compounds quietly. It doesn’t need to advertise itself or seek validation through comparison. People who’ve spent years doing the work understand how much context matters—and how little certainty is warranted early on.

That perspective creates restraint.

Those without it often rush to conclusions. They speak in absolutes. They dismiss entire bodies of work they haven’t had to build, maintain, or defend. It’s not malicious—it’s incomplete understanding masquerading as confidence.

What experience teaches is proportion.

It teaches how much effort goes unseen.

How long real expertise takes to develop.

How easy it is to underestimate work you’ve never been responsible for.

The most seasoned professionals I know don’t spend time declaring what others should stop doing. They’re focused on what they themselves are accountable for delivering.

Experience doesn’t need to announce itself.

It shows up in judgment.

And in knowing when not to speak.