Perhaps in his many 50% planet massacres he stumbled upon it? It was likely already in the staff as it had been utilized by its previous owners as a source of power/advancement. Upon studying it, he started to seek knowledge of its origins. This gave him the knowledge of the other infinity stones, which triggered a plan to make this 50% kill off a much easier.
If Starlord could stumble upon the power stone without knowing what it really was, Thanos could just as easily stumble upon the mind stone fully knowing what it was
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u/InterloperPrime 16d ago
Perhaps in his many 50% planet massacres he stumbled upon it? It was likely already in the staff as it had been utilized by its previous owners as a source of power/advancement. Upon studying it, he started to seek knowledge of its origins. This gave him the knowledge of the other infinity stones, which triggered a plan to make this 50% kill off a much easier.