a little knowledge is a dangerous thing

English

Etymology

A slight misquotation of Alexander Pope’s a little learning is a dangerous thing. The earliest use dates from a magazine published in 1774.

Proverb

a little knowledge is a dangerous thing

1. A small amount of knowledge can mislead individuals into believing that they are more experienced and expert than what is actually the case.
   • 1926, Francis Blake Atkinson, Hallam Hawksworth, A Year in the Wonderland of Trees, page 176:

     Of course anybody can saw off a limb; but here, as so often happens, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and a little more will often save a dear old friend of the family and the neighborhood.

Synonyms

• a little learning is a dangerous thing

See also

• Dunning-Kruger effect
• unknown unknown
• zeal without knowledge is a runaway horse