--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know of nothing more terrible than the…" description: "\"I know of nothing more terrible than the poor creatures who have learned too much. Instead of the sound powerful judgement which would probably have gr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/ernst-mach-15026_complicated_i-know-of-nothing-more-terrible-than-the_1889787.jpg" --- # I know of nothing more terrible than the poor creatures… ![“I know of nothing more terrible than the poor creatures who have learned too much. Instead of the sound powerful judgement which would probably have grown up if they had learned nothing, their thoughts creep timidly and hypnotically after words, principles and formulae, constantly by the same…” quote by Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/ernst-mach-15026_complicated_i-know-of-nothing-more-terrible-than-the_1889787.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/ernst-mach-15026_complicated_i-know-of-nothing-more-terrible-than-the_1889787.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/ernst-mach-15026_complicated_i-know-of-nothing-more-terrible-than-the_1889787.jpg) > “I know of nothing more terrible than the poor creatures who have learned too much. Instead of the sound powerful judgement which would probably have grown up if they had learned nothing, their thoughts creep timidly and hypnotically after words, principles and formulae, constantly by the same paths. What they have acquired is a spider's web of thoughts too weak to furnish sure supports, but complicated enough to provide confusion.” [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Over-education can trap thinkers in fragile, convoluted reasoning that lacks solid foundations. **In simple terms:** Too much knowledge can create weak, tangled thoughts. Key Takeaway Seek clarity over complexity. Themes knowledge reasoning confidence Mood critical reflective Type philosophical cautionary When to use this quote - academic research - policy making - personal decision making - public discourse - education reform Key Concepts epistemology overanalysis intellectual humility Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance depth and simplicity? - When does expertise become a hindrance? A Different Perspective Complex ideas may still be useful if applied wisely. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confusion/) [Judgement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgement/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) ## Related quotes > [I've learned not to put thoughts on overkill, unless they are positive and/or creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/i-ve-learned-not-to-put-thoughts-on-overkill-unless-they-are-positive/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [“The thoughts that creep into our brain about other people tell us less about those people than they do about ourself...Understand that most judgments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-f-glassman/the-thoughts-that-creep-into-our-brain-about-other-people-tell-us/) [Charles F. Glassman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-f-glassman/) > [I have seen that women are shut out from every means of earning a living that is really remunerative, crowded into certain narrow walks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillie-devereux-blake/i-have-seen-that-women-are-shut-out-from-every-means-of-earning-a/) [Lillie Devereux Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillie-devereux-blake/) > [Poor creatures. What did we do to you? With all our schemes and plans?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/poor-creatures-what-did-we-do-to-you-with-all-our-schemes-and-plans/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“Thoughts can creep up on you, or they can hit harder than a wrecking ball.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malorie-blackman/thoughts-can-creep-up-on-you-or-they-can-hit-harder-than-a-wrecking/) [Malorie Blackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malorie-blackman/) > [“I feel these forbidden thoughts creep in sometimes without warning. Slow thoughts that always start quietly, like whispers you're not even sure you're hearing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-smith/i-feel-these-forbidden-thoughts-creep-in-sometimes-without-warning/) Amber Smith > [Not fighting, avoiding talking to fans... that's when the thoughts creep in about retiring and moving on to something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-ward/not-fighting-avoiding-talking-to-fans-that-s-when-the-thoughts-creep/) [Andre Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-ward/) > [I confess I hate to see the poor creatures hunted down but I bite my lip and keep quiet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-confess-i-hate-to-see-the-poor-creatures-hunted-down-but-i-bite-my/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“These are the sights, Harriet, to do one good. 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Those guys are a dime a dozen, and they are creepy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirstie-alley/i-like-men-who-love-children-and-their-wives-i-don-t-like-playboys/) [Kirstie Alley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirstie-alley/) > [Obviously, the state's responsibility should be to legislate rules for a well-ordered society. It has no right or duty to creep into the bedrooms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/obviously-the-state-s-responsibility-should-be-to-legislate-rules-for/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [Just make sure you're gone by the time we get to Miles's. It creeps me out to see you sitting in his lap without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-noel/just-make-sure-you-re-gone-by-the-time-we-get-to-miles-s-it-creeps-me/) [Alyson Noel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-noel/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) ## More by Ernst Mach > [Physics is experience, arranged in economical order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/physics-is-experience-arranged-in-economical-order/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) > [Science itself, therefore, may be regarded as a minimal problem, consisting of the completest possible presentment of facts with the least possible expenditure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/science-itself-therefore-may-be-regarded-as-a-minimal-problem/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) > [In reality, the law always contains less than the fact itself, because it does not reproduce the fact as a whole but only in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/in-reality-the-law-always-contains-less-than-the-fact-itself-because/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) > [The presentations and conceptions of the average man of the world are formed and dominated, not by the full and pure desire for knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/the-presentations-and-conceptions-of-the-average-man-of-the-world-are/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) > [“To us investigators, the concept 'soul' is irrelevant and a matter for laughter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/to-us-investigators-the-concept-soul-is-irrelevant-and-a-matter-for/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) > [Scientists must use the simplest means of arriving at their results and exclude everything not perceived by the senses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/scientists-must-use-the-simplest-means-of-arriving-at-their-results/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) > [Personally, people know themselves very poorly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/personally-people-know-themselves-very-poorly/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) > [“But we must not forget that all things in the world are connected with one another and depend on one another, and that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/but-we-must-not-forget-that-all-things-in-the-world-are-connected/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) > [If our dreams were more regular, more connected, more stable, they would also have more practical importance for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/if-our-dreams-were-more-regular-more-connected-more-stable-they-would/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) > [Mathematics may be defined as the economy of counting. There is no problem in the whole of mathematics which cannot be solved by direct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/mathematics-may-be-defined-as-the-economy-of-counting-there-is-no/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) > [Strange as it may sound, the power of mathematics rests on its evasion of all unnecessary thought and on its wonderful saving of mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/strange-as-it-may-sound-the-power-of-mathematics-rests-on-its-evasion/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) > [The acquisition of the most elementary truth does not devolve upon the individual alone: it is pre-effected in the development of the race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/the-acquisition-of-the-most-elementary-truth-does-not-devolve-upon/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) > [The history of the development of mechanics is quite indispensable to a full comprehension of the science in its present condition. It also affords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/the-history-of-the-development-of-mechanics-is-quite-indispensable-to/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) > [The task which we have set ourselves is simply to show why and for what purpose we hold that standpoint during most of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/the-task-which-we-have-set-ourselves-is-simply-to-show-why-and-for/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) > [All this, the positive and physical essence of mechanics, which makes its chief and highest interest for a student of nature, is in existing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mach/all-this-the-positive-and-physical-essence-of-mechanics-which-makes/) [Ernst Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) [Explore all 44 Ernst Mach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mach/) ## More Complicated quotes > [Of course I like you. It's because I like you I don't wanna be with you. It's a complicated emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlin/of-course-i-like-you-it-s-because-i-like-you-i-don-t-wanna-be-with/) Marlin > [“Why the hell did he have to be so complicated? One minute he was charming, the next he withdrew behind his internal walls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lia-davis/why-the-hell-did-he-have-to-be-so-complicated-one-minute-he-was/) [Lia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lia-davis/) > [Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [“Just because it's complicated, just because you think you can't ever know everything about another person, it doesn't mean you can't try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-semple/just-because-it-s-complicated-just-because-you-think-you-can-t-ever/) [Maria Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-semple/) > [The one thing I absolutely hate about social media are the people who abuse it. Whenever I see a person who constantly posts negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmin-garcia/the-one-thing-i-absolutely-hate-about-social-media-are-the-people-who/) [Jazmin Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmin-garcia/) > [I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spottiswoode/i-think-the-ethics-and-morals-of-genetic-engineering-are-very/) [Roger Spottiswoode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spottiswoode/) > [Your Starbucks order is directly proportional to how complicated your personality is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin/your-starbucks-order-is-directly-proportional-to-how-complicated-your/) [Kevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) > [I have learned so much from my dad. Perhaps the biggest thing I've learned from my dad is how to be prepared at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-sekulow/i-have-learned-so-much-from-my-dad-perhaps-the-biggest-thing-i-ve/) [Jay Sekulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-sekulow/) > [The world is complicated and full of grays, but there's still truth there to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-world-is-complicated-and-full-of-grays-but-there-s-still-truth/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ The parts of the \[Civil Right\] Movement we recognize so well now were not born from a single decision, but were a complicated and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/the-parts-of-the-civil-right-movement-we-recognize-so-well-now-were/) [Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/) > [Two people could build an outhouse in four hours. They're not complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-maxwell/two-people-could-build-an-outhouse-in-four-hours-they-re-not/) [Robert Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-maxwell/) Browse all 3,190 Complicated quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I know of nothing more terrible than the poor creatures who have learned too much. Instead of the sound powerful judgement which would probably have grown up if they had learned nothing, their thoughts creep timidly and hypnotically after words, principles and formulae, constantly by the same paths. 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