1 Nephi 17: 19

19 And now it came to pass that I, Nephi, was exceedingly sorrowful because of the hardness of their hearts; and now when they saw that I began to be sorrowful they were glad in their hearts, insomuch that they did rejoice over me, saying: We knew that ye could not construct a ship, for we knew that ye were lacking in judgment; wherefore, thou canst not accomplish so great a work.

In their arrogance, Nephi’s brethren totally misinterpreted Nephi’s mood. They thought he was discouraged because he could see that they were right, and building a ship to cross the ocean really was beyond him. Never did it enter their minds that Nephi might actually and sincerely be concerned for their spiritual and physical welfare. Selfish and proud people are notorious for assigning their own motives to everyone else’s actions and decisions. That’s what Laman and company did here. They assumed that Nephi was putting them through this elaborate hoax so he could put them all in a position that he could be their ruler. They thought that by refusing their help they were thwarting Nephi’s plans, and that is why he was discouraged. So they took a few verses to gloat. Unrepentant selfishness and/or pride are probably the biggest reasons people like this will never understand people of God. And yet godly people can understand the proud and selfish ones, to an extent, because they battle with and overcome those very traits in their paths to spirituality.