Victory, said a wise old Roman, has many fathers, defeat is an orphan.
England's catastrophic performance in the Ashes series has already made the fathers of this English defeat run for cover.
But if England are to learn from it, then the people in charge must learn the right lessons. And the lessons are offered by their Australian conquerors.
For me, the most revealing insight into how Australia approached this series came from Adam Gilchrist, their wicket-keeper.
His reason for Australia losing the 2005 Ashes was that they had taken their eyes off that series.
In the year leading up to it, he said, they had concentrated on beating India in India, something they had not done for almost 30 years. They achieved that and, in the process, took England for granted and lost the Ashes.
They were not going to make that mistake this time. They refocused and were determined to show 2005 was a blip for them.
"It is astonishing to think that many of the problems highlighted in Australia have been a replay of England's cricket since they won the Ashes"
England, in contrast, saw their 2005 victory as making them world champions. The ticker-tape parade was held, all the players got gongs and they have now paid the price.
The worry is that some of this myopic thinking may still be evident.
The ECB's review talks of regaining the Ashes in 2009. England's objective must always be to become the best team in the world. If that happens the Ashes will take care of themselves.
Look at how, in 1987, Australian cricket, which was at as low a level as English cricket is now, came back.
That was when England last won in Australia. Australia started their resurgence by winning the World Cup in India in 1987, against England as it happens.
Two years later they came to England and a little heralded Australian side defeated England. Apart from the 2005 blip they have not looked back.
But, even when they regained the Ashes, Australians never forgot that their objective was to defeat the West Indies, then the best team in the world. They did so in the mid-1990s and since then have remained the best side in the world.
England must show the same desire, starting with the World Cup.
Unlike Australia, England's coach Duncan Fletcher has treated the one-day game more as a warm up for the Tests. That attitude must change.
Then the focus must shift to the domestic series against West Indies and India.
It is astonishing to think that many of the problems highlighted in Australia have been a replay of England's cricket since that marvellous day in September 2005.
The collapse in the second innings at Adelaide, which in many ways was the turning point of this series, mirrored a similar one in the first Test in Pakistan last winter, when England lost a match they should have won.
England must focus on every series just as Australia do, not merely prepare for the Ashes. Otherwise, as now, they will be found out.