I had tactical firearms instructors (multiple ones) use that proverb "when your only tool is a hammer, all of your problems will look like nails" to get it through our heads that having a firearm shouldn't mean that it is our only, best or first tool of choice. That we ALL have "other tools", that we should rely on and use, long before resorting to a tool of deadly force. Tools like our ability to observe, to notice, to listen, to reason, to see warning signs and avoid conflict or violence. It was a valuable (and life saving for me) lesson that I learned. I've found the proverb to also be helpful in other parts of my life, personal and professional. It reminds me that when I think that I know what they "problem is" because I am reaching for a pre-conceived or preferred "solution", that perhaps I am guilty of seeing the challenge as a "nail that needs to be hammered" when in fact, I may be better served by more closely examining the problem before "choosing my tool" to solve it.