--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An expert is someone who knows more and…" description: "\"An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less, until eventually he knows everything about nothing.\" — Andrew McMahon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/andrew-mcmahon-16018_eventually_an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-more-and_1279532.png" --- # An expert is someone who knows more and more about less… ![“An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less, until eventually he knows everything about nothing.” quote by Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/andrew-mcmahon-16018_eventually_an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-more-and_1279532.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/andrew-mcmahon-16018_eventually_an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-more-and_1279532.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/andrew-mcmahon-16018_eventually_an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-more-and_1279532.png) > “An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less, until eventually he knows everything about nothing.” [Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Expertise narrows focus, eventually leading to deep knowledge in a tiny area, sometimes seeming meaningless overall. **In simple terms:** Experts specialize deeply. Key Takeaway Recognize limits of narrow expertise. Themes knowledge specialization humility Mood reflective critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - academic research - professional fields - skill development Key Concepts epistemology depth vs breadth Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance depth and breadth? - When does specialization hinder understanding? A Different Perspective Over‑specialization can ignore broader context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eventually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eventually/) [Eventually Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eventually-knows-4129856/) [Expert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expert/) [Expert Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expert-knows-402298/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Knows Eventually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows-eventually-4129857/) ## Related quotes > [“An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-butler/an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-more-and-more-about-less-and-less-2/) [Nicholas Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-butler/) > [The expert knows more and more about less and less until he knows everything about nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-expert-knows-more-and-more-about-less-and-less-until-he-knows/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Many people will tell you that an expert is someone who knows a great deal about the subject. To this I would object that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/many-people-will-tell-you-that-an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-a-great/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [“An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less.” NICHOLAS MURRAY BUTLER”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-sevilla/an-expert-is-one-who-knows-more-and-more-about-less-and-less-nicholas/) [Charles M. Sevilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-sevilla/) > [An expert is someone who knows a lot about the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hopkins/an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-a-lot-about-the-past/) [Tom Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hopkins/) > [An expert is someone who knows some of the worst mistakes that can be made in his subject and how to avoid them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-some-of-the-worst-mistakes-that-can-be/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [An expert knows all the answers - if you ask the right questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levi-strauss/an-expert-knows-all-the-answers-if-you-ask-the-right-questions/) [Levi Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levi-strauss/) > [An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less until he knows absolutely everything about nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-butler/an-expert-is-one-who-knows-more-and-more-about-less-and-less-until-he/) [Nicholas Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-butler/) > [An expert knows the subject very well. A model teaches by showing instead of just telling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-leonard/an-expert-knows-the-subject-very-well-a-model-teaches-by-showing/) [Thomas Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-leonard/) > [An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-expert-is-one-who-knows-more-and-more-about-less-and-less/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [An expert is someone who knows some of the worst mistakes, which can be made, in a very narrow field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-some-of-the-worst-mistakes-which-can/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [Everyone knows everything eventually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/everyone-knows-everything-eventually/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [Whenever there's a speciality dance, such as the Charleston or the Argentine Tango, 'Strictly' enlists expert choreographers to work with the professional dancers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-rippon/whenever-there-s-a-speciality-dance-such-as-the-charleston-or-the/) [Angela Rippon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-rippon/) > [I've always been a fan of old-time hymns and Scots-Irish dirges, though I wouldn't necessarily consider myself an expert on the type of music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/i-ve-always-been-a-fan-of-old-time-hymns-and-scots-irish-dirges/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [As actors, you become an expert at starting over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/as-actors-you-become-an-expert-at-starting-over/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) ## More by Andrew McMahon > [It's easy to love the snow because at the end of every snowstorm it's as if the world has started over. 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I'm very thankful that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-witwer/eventually-i-booked-a-2-line-role-on-a-show-called-jag-and-slowly-the/) [Samuel Witwer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-witwer/) > [“Eventually, there is one principle, and one principle alone on which the world is hinged: things will work out the way they should, provided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manreet-sodhi-someshwar/eventually-there-is-one-principle-and-one-principle-alone-on-which/) [Manreet Sodhi Someshwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manreet-sodhi-someshwar/) > [Something will eventually replace the Internet. But it's hard to know what and when it will happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hastings/something-will-eventually-replace-the-internet-but-it-s-hard-to-know/) [Reed Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hastings/) > [How many of us would be willing to settle when we're young for what we eventually get? All those plans we make...what happens to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/how-many-of-us-would-be-willing-to-settle-when-we-re-young-for-what/) [Moss Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moss-hart/) > [In seventh grade, with some vague sense that I wanted to be a writer, I crouched in the junior high school library stacks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/in-seventh-grade-with-some-vague-sense-that-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-i/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) > [We feel that, with Sidney, we have a great opportunity over the next few years to put a great team on the ice. 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I eventually got some nice merchandising checks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-englund/i-didn-t-make-good-money-on-nightmare-until-part-three-i-eventually/) [Robert Englund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-englund/) [Browse all 892 Eventually quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eventually/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less, until eventually he knows everything about nothing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew McMahon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-more-and-more-about-less-and-less/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Eventually" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-more-and-more-about-less-and-less/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/andrew-mcmahon-16018_eventually_an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-more-and_1279532.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/andrew-mcmahon-16018_eventually_an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-more-and_1279532.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/andrew-mcmahon-16018_eventually_an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-more-and_1279532.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less, until eventually he knows everything about…” — Andrew McMahon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Andrew McMahon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "An expert is someone who knows...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-more-and-more-about-less-and-less/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-more-and-more-about-less-and-less/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```