The guy who said mortar mix ratios dont matter, is he right?

Honestly, I overheard this kid at the supply yard in Tulsa last Tuesday telling his buddy that as long as the mortar sticks, the ratio is just a suggestion. I nearly dropped my trowel. I've been laying brick for 14 years and I've always measured 3 parts sand to 1 part cement for anything load bearing, but I've also seen crews just eyeball it on garden walls and those things hold up fine for a decade. On the other hand, I had a retaining wall I did back in 2019 with a sloppy mix and it cracked by spring. So which is it, are we overthinking this or are those guys just getting lucky? Has anyone here actually tested a loose mix against a strict one on the same job and seen a real difference, or is this one of those old timer myths we keep passing down?

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