--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An incompetent teacher is even worse than…" description: "\"An incompetent teacher is even worse than an incompetent surgeon because a surgeon can only cut up one person at a time.\" — Ernest L. Boyer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/ernest-l-boyer-24978_cutting_an-incompetent-teacher-is-even-worse-tha_618783.png" --- # An incompetent teacher is even worse than an incompetent… ![“An incompetent teacher is even worse than an incompetent surgeon because a surgeon can only cut up one person at a time.” quote by Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/ernest-l-boyer-24978_cutting_an-incompetent-teacher-is-even-worse-tha_618783.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/ernest-l-boyer-24978_cutting_an-incompetent-teacher-is-even-worse-tha_618783.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/ernest-l-boyer-24978_cutting_an-incompetent-teacher-is-even-worse-tha_618783.png) > “An incompetent teacher is even worse than an incompetent surgeon because a surgeon can only cut up one person at a time.” [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Comparing teaching to surgery, the quote stresses the severe impact of poor instruction. **In simple terms:** Bad teaching can cause widespread harm. Key Takeaway Prioritize teacher competence. Themes education competence impact Mood critical concerned Type analytical advocacy When to use this quote - teacher training - school administration - policy reform Key Concepts pedagogy professional standards student welfare Questions to Reflect On - How can we better assess teacher effectiveness? - What safeguards protect students from incompetent teaching? A Different Perspective May exaggerate the analogy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Incompetent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incompetent/) [Surgeons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surgeons/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The only weapon with which the unconscious patient can immediately retaliate upon the incompetent surgeon is hemorrhage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stewart-halsted/the-only-weapon-with-which-the-unconscious-patient-can-immediately/) William Stewart Halsted > [“Problems often become worse if incompetent people try to solve them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eraldo-banovac/problems-often-become-worse-if-incompetent-people-try-to-solve-them/) [Eraldo Banovac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eraldo-banovac/) > [A self-taught man usually has a poor teacher and a worse student.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henny-youngman/a-self-taught-man-usually-has-a-poor-teacher-and-a-worse-student/) [Henny Youngman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henny-youngman/) > [A poor surgeon hurts one person at a time. A poor teacher hurts 130.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/a-poor-surgeon-hurts-one-person-at-a-time-a-poor-teacher-hurts-130/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [The switch had two settings. You could either turn it to AUTO, in which case the awning lowered itself whenever the sun came out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-switch-had-two-settings-you-could-either-turn-it-to-auto-in-which/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“True evil is always petty and often incompetent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-chilton/true-evil-is-always-petty-and-often-incompetent/) [Claire Chilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-chilton/) > [“The doctor was clueless!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-doctor-was-clueless/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [I claim that Mach people (and apparently FreeBSD) are incompetent idiots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-torvalds/i-claim-that-mach-people-and-apparently-freebsd-are-incompetent-idiots/) [Linus Torvalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-torvalds/) > [“The incompetent always present themselves as experts, the cruel as pious, sinners as excessively devout, users as benefactors, the small minded as patriots, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-zafron/the-incompetent-always-present-themselves-as-experts-the-cruel-as/) Carlos Zafron > [I'd got over playing a character. People accepted who I was, and if I was incompetent and useless, they felt quite endeared to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palin/i-d-got-over-playing-a-character-people-accepted-who-i-was-and-if-i/) [Michael Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palin/) > [Ken Blackwell is either a huge hypocrite or very incompetent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-paduchik/ken-blackwell-is-either-a-huge-hypocrite-or-very-incompetent/) Bob Paduchik > [Even when they are trying to deceive the voters, the Democrats are incompetent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/even-when-they-are-trying-to-deceive-the-voters-the-democrats-are/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [Democratic accountability means that governments must be popularly accepted, with citizens empowered to replace corrupt or incompetent rulers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghuram-rajan/democratic-accountability-means-that-governments-must-be-popularly/) [Raghuram Rajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghuram-rajan/) > [Obviously somebody had been appallingly incompetent and he hoped to God it wasn't him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/obviously-somebody-had-been-appallingly-incompetent-and-he-hoped-to/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Who would vote for an incompetent President?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/who-would-vote-for-an-incompetent-president/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) ## More by Ernest L. Boyer > [Education is a seamless web: one level of learning relates to every other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/education-is-a-seamless-web-one-level-of-learning-relates-to-every/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [The assumption of all education is that learning will be directed toward constructive ends and I'm convinced that colleges should support students in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/the-assumption-of-all-education-is-that-learning-will-be-directed/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [Education must prepare students to be independent, self-reliant human beings. But education, at its best, also must help students go beyond their private interests,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/education-must-prepare-students-to-be-independent-self-reliant-human/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [Book CoverTo have people who are well informed but not constrained by conscience is conceivably, the most dangerous outcome of education possible. Indeed it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/book-coverto-have-people-who-are-well-informed-but-not-constrained-by/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [In the end, excellence in education means excellence in teaching, and if this country would give the status to first grade teachers that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/in-the-end-excellence-in-education-means-excellence-in-teaching-and/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [To put it simply, school readiness means creating in this country a public love of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/to-put-it-simply-school-readiness-means-creating-in-this-country-a/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [A poor surgeon hurts one person at a time. A poor teacher hurts 130.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/a-poor-surgeon-hurts-one-person-at-a-time-a-poor-teacher-hurts-130/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [Based upon the pictures, I concluded that about 60 percent of all college classes in the United States are held outside, underneath a tree,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/based-upon-the-pictures-i-concluded-that-about-60-percent-of-all/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [I am suggesting that quality in undergraduate education means giving students a perspective that is global.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/i-am-suggesting-that-quality-in-undergraduate-education-means-giving/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [Music gives us a language that cuts across the disciplines, helps us to see connections and brings a more coherent meaning to our world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/music-gives-us-a-language-that-cuts-across-the-disciplines-helps-us/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [Wouldn't it be wonderful if every home had good books instead of knick-knacks and plastic flowers on the bookshelves? And wouldn't it be great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/wouldn-t-it-be-wonderful-if-every-home-had-good-books-instead-of/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [To push for excellence today without continuing to push for access for less privileged students is to undermine the crucial but incomplete gains that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/to-push-for-excellence-today-without-continuing-to-push-for-access/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [Our most consequential human problems will be resolved, not through competition, but collaboration... what we need in education is a learning climate in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/our-most-consequential-human-problems-will-be-resolved-not-through/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [The connectedness of things is what the great university is all about, and I believe the great university in the coming century will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/the-connectedness-of-things-is-what-the-great-university-is-all-about/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) > [It is no longer enough to simply read and write. Students must also become literate in the understanding of visual images. Our children must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-l-boyer/it-is-no-longer-enough-to-simply-read-and-write-students-must-also/) [Ernest L. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) [Explore all 23 Ernest L. Boyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-l-boyer/) ## More Cutting quotes > [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. 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It's celebrity meets pornography meets politics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-grant/i-didn-t-understand-southland-tales-script-at-all-is-there-a-single/) [Beth Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-grant/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/) [Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [God holds each of us by a string. When we sin, we cut the string. But God ties it up again, making a knot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/god-holds-each-of-us-by-a-string-when-we-sin-we-cut-the-string-but/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [What's the difference between obsolete and cutting edge? 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