It has been stated that building flood resilience comes through experience. Although it is questionable whether exposure to flooding always results in increased flood resilience, it is unclear what such a learning process entails. Experiencing floods can significantly enhance an individual's flood-related knowledge through direct exposure to the event and its consequences. This knowledge acquisition process is influenced by several key factors. Primarily, the availability of learning opportunities during and after a flood event plays a crucial role in shaping one's understanding. Furthermore, the individual's motivation to learn and engage with flood-related information is essential for effective knowledge gain. Followed by the pre-existing knowledge about floods and related topics serves as a foundation upon which new information can be built and integrated. The interplay of these factors determines the extent and depth of flood-related knowledge acquired through personal experience, ultimately contributing to an individual's overall preparedness and resilience in the face of future flood events. Flood management and/or other actions may be influenced by flood-related knowledge, but they may also be constrained by constraints such as lack of information and resources, attitudes, social capital, and policy restrictions. Together, flood-related information and the action that followed are regarded as the lesson learnt. This lesson then changes flood ability, recoverability, adaptability, and/or transformability, which in turn influences flood resilience. We analyse the various learning processes and their individual impacts on flood resistance in two environments. It implies that learning about flood mitigation is not possible in a setting that is well-protected by flood control infrastructure. In light of climate change, we then advocate for learning-based flood mitigation to promote flood resilience.