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 French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Un peu de connaissance est une chose dangereuse (literally: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing)
- Spanish: Un poco de conocimiento es algo peligroso (literally: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing)
- Japanese: 少しの知識は危険なものだ (Sukoshi no chishiki wa kiken na mono da) (literally: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing)
- German: Halbwissen ist schlimmer als Nichtwissen (literally: Half-knowledge is worse than no knowledge)
More proverbs about Wisdom
- The frog in the well knows not the great ocean — Those with limited experience cannot comprehend the vastness of the wider world.
- A good beginning makes a good ending — How you start something largely determines how it will finish; preparation and intention…
- He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened — Understanding others requires wisdom, but self-knowledge is the highest form of understan…
- Measure twice, cut once — Take time to plan carefully before acting, to avoid costly and irreversible mistakes.
- The best mirror is an old friend — True friends who have known us for a long time see us most clearly and honestly.
- He who fights with monsters should look to it that he does not become one — In struggling against evil, we risk adopting the very characteristics we oppose.
From our idioms
- get the short end of the stick — to receive unfair treatment; to get the worse deal.
- fit as a fiddle — in excellent physical condition; healthy.
- no love lost — mutual dislike; bad relations between people.