ProverbWisdomEnglish origin1711

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

Meaning: Partial knowledge breeds overconfidence and can be more harmful than honest ignorance.

Origin: Alexander Pope's An Essay on Criticism (1711) has it as "A little learning is a dangerous thing; / Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring." The Pierian spring was sacred to the Muses, and Pope's point was that a shallow sip of knowledge makes people overconfident, while deep study sobers them.

Equivalents in German

  • German: Halbwissen ist schlimmer als Nichtwissen (literally: Half-knowledge is worse than no knowledge)

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