the one who asks is fool for 5 min,but the one who doesn't ask is fool for ever

I think this saying talks about missed opportunities just because a person didn't pop the question on time. For example, there's a guy who's in love with a girl, but he doesn't know if she loves him back (which is enough reason to be together). The guy could be having inner conflicts as to whether he should ask her right out or not. In his mind, he's battling between the idea of, "What if I ask her and she says no? I would be devastated." On the other end, he also asks himself, "What if I don't ask her, then there will be no resolution to my problem?" To apply the saying, if the guy asked and was rejected, he would feel like a fool for a time; but if he never asked, he would have never known the answer forever -- such a fool for not even trying!

This is very true, if a person avoids asking a question because they may look foolish then they will never know the answer. I have been asked a lot of very basic questions over the years, but I have never thought unfairly about the person that has asked the question. There are many subjects in which my knowledge is very poor, so I cannot judge a person for the same thing.

Yes very common question, this proverb is also running in our country. Learning from other by questioning or by following is human nature, so no shame or no downing to learn anything from questioning to others as learning or knowledge is power of furure and an essential of all spares of life.

I have always heard that the only stupid question is an unasked question. So I would have to say I would rather suffer being the fool for five minutes rather than not know what ever it was that I felt needed to be asked

the best way to learn something you don't know,is to ask,how can anyone be classed a fool for trying to gain knowledge? As a saying goes here,there are no stupid questions only stupid answers from someone that does not know the answer but does answer anyway.