Av mate,
In response to your points:
1. Not all of my whinging was directed at you, simply at what I believe to be an absurd statement that you made.
2. I know you did not state "thou shalt not read the manual" however, I feel your helpful intentions end up giving people like downwind and students an impression, whether stated or otherwise that if they can't be bothered they can lean on unreliable information to "see them through" to a point when they are on their own and they might eventually pick up some more details off their own back.
3. As to the point already being made; true, some people never learn.
4. My instructor was aspiring to leave G.A. and the class room A.S.A.P. he unfortunatley, like some instructors (I like to think not many) was jaded and bored with the lightie's. I did soon realise, as with a university education (which I do not have) I was going to have to learn the theory of my lessons and to brief myslef, as he was not going to spoon feed me or for that matter have much to do with me until we were in the plane. He was a slack instructor and that serves no benefit to anybody, however I learnt the valuable education of independent and self resourced learning.
Sorry if I was rude.
I shall leave it alone, please accept my apology.
There is nothing quite as useless as a meaningless maxim