--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's a lot more to competence than a…" description: "\"There's a lot more to competence than a law degree and a modicum of courtroom skill.\" — Fred Thompson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60a/fred-thompson-8900_competence_there-s-a-lot-more-to-competence-than-a_670834.jpg" --- # There's a lot more to competence than a law degree and a… ![“There's a lot more to competence than a law degree and a modicum of courtroom skill.” quote by Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60a/fred-thompson-8900_competence_there-s-a-lot-more-to-competence-than-a_670834.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60a/fred-thompson-8900_competence_there-s-a-lot-more-to-competence-than-a_670834.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60a/fred-thompson-8900_competence_there-s-a-lot-more-to-competence-than-a_670834.jpg) > “There's a lot more to competence than a law degree and a modicum of courtroom skill.” [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Competence requires practical experience, emotional intelligence, and ethical judgment beyond formal education. **In simple terms:** Skill goes beyond a degree. Key Takeaway Develop broader abilities beyond credentials. Themes competence experience ethics emotional intelligence Mood analytical serious Type practical inspirational When to use this quote - job interviews - legal practice - leadership roles Key Concepts professional development holistic assessment career growth Questions to Reflect On - What non‑academic traits are most valuable in your field? - How can you demonstrate competence without a degree? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on credentials can overlook talent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Courtroom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courtroom/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Skill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skill/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) ## Related quotes > [I don't know what I'm going to do with my law degree. Hopefully I'll get the law degree - that's the first step.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schlossberg/i-don-t-know-what-i-m-going-to-do-with-my-law-degree-hopefully-i-ll/) [Jack Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schlossberg/) > [My grandmother got her law degree from Syracuse University in roughly 1911 and later co-founded with her husband an investment banking firm on Wall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-grandmother-got-her-law-degree-from-syracuse-university-in-roughly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can do law with a law degree. You can't do anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-fulcher/you-can-do-law-with-a-law-degree-you-can-t-do-anything-else/) [Rich Fulcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-fulcher/) > [I went to, while I was in the military, Western New England College for my MBA and New England School of Law for my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-glenn/i-went-to-while-i-was-in-the-military-western-new-england-college-for/) [Darryl Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-glenn/) > [My political science degree is always on the back-burner. I took my LSAT, so even if I want to take the LSAT again, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinny-guadagnino/my-political-science-degree-is-always-on-the-back-burner-i-took-my/) [Vinny Guadagnino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinny-guadagnino/) > [At Cardozo, study of law is part of a larger culture. You can get a law degree and make a good living, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lamm/at-cardozo-study-of-law-is-part-of-a-larger-culture-you-can-get-a-law/) [Norman Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lamm/) > [There are a lot of things you can do with a law degree background, but I just didn't have a passion for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-mcgrory/there-are-a-lot-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-law-degree-background-but/) [Matthew McGrory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-mcgrory/) > [“On one of the walls of his office hung his undergraduate degree from Columbia and his law degree from the Harvard School of Law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-potok/on-one-of-the-walls-of-his-office-hung-his-undergraduate-degree-from/) [Chaim Potok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-potok/) > [I had originally wanted to be a lawyer. Even when I went to college and majored in engineering, I still thought I'd get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-bryant/i-had-originally-wanted-to-be-a-lawyer-even-when-i-went-to-college/) [Kimberly Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-bryant/) > [I think people sometimes forget that I got a law degree and that it's mine for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andi-dorfman/i-think-people-sometimes-forget-that-i-got-a-law-degree-and-that-it-s/) [Andi Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andi-dorfman/) > [A lot of people think, 'I'll give acting or poetry or filmmaking a try. And if it doesn't work out I'll go get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-marling/a-lot-of-people-think-i-ll-give-acting-or-poetry-or-filmmaking-a-try/) [Brit Marling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-marling/) > [I have an accounting degree and a law degree and had never really used either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cris-collinsworth/i-have-an-accounting-degree-and-a-law-degree-and-had-never-really/) [Cris Collinsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cris-collinsworth/) > [The future is wide open. I may actually go back and get that law degree someday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-carlson/the-future-is-wide-open-i-may-actually-go-back-and-get-that-law/) [Gretchen Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-carlson/) > [“It is better to have a Law Degree than to be a Simon Legree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/it-is-better-to-have-a-law-degree-than-to-be-a-simon-legree/) Anyaele Sam Chiyson > [I went to law school and took a law degree, and counseled all my clients to plead insanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-zevon/i-went-to-law-school-and-took-a-law-degree-and-counseled-all-my/) [Warren Zevon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-zevon/) ## More by Fred Thompson > [We are always just one successful terrorist attack away from a nuclear disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/we-are-always-just-one-successful-terrorist-attack-away-from-a/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [You can't buy peace by just wishing it and avoiding the challenges that other nations present to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/you-can-t-buy-peace-by-just-wishing-it-and-avoiding-the-challenges/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [The University of North Carolina-Greensboro has ordered a Christian club to allow non-Christians as leaders. While we're at it, let's put high school dropouts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/the-university-of-north-carolina-greensboro-has-ordered-a-christian/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [You can't substitute promise after promise with known violators of prior promises at the expense of protecting ourselves or setting an example.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/you-can-t-substitute-promise-after-promise-with-known-violators-of/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [A new report shows that medicare and Medicaid made more than $50 Billion in bad payments during fiscal year 2011. Under Obamacare, that'll become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/a-new-report-shows-that-medicare-and-medicaid-made-more-than-50/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [After two years in Washington, I often long for the realism and sincerity of Hollywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/after-two-years-in-washington-i-often-long-for-the-realism-and/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [Being a POW certainly doesn't qualify anyone to be president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/being-a-pow-certainly-doesn-t-qualify-anyone-to-be-president/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [In the end, we may be hurting the very people we should be concerned about - the inner-city poor, those who already have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/in-the-end-we-may-be-hurting-the-very-people-we-should-be-concerned/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [Jay Carney told the reporters at his morning briefing that he hoped they would watch the new movie about Obama's first term 'many times.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/jay-carney-told-the-reporters-at-his-morning-briefing-that-he-hoped/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/this-business-will-get-out-of-control-it-will-get-out-of-control-and/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [But if the Chinese mainland, the PRC, attacked Taiwan, we'd be obligated to come to their aid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/but-if-the-chinese-mainland-the-prc-attacked-taiwan-we-d-be-obligated/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [A new report shows that, in Virginia, gun violence has fallen as the sale of firearms has soared to a new record. In other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/a-new-report-shows-that-in-virginia-gun-violence-has-fallen-as-the/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [China is one of the world's greatest proliferators of weapons of mass destruction to these rogue nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/china-is-one-of-the-world-s-greatest-proliferators-of-weapons-of-mass/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [So China will be having to make some choices as to whose side it wants to be on. Hopefully, this will be the beginning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/so-china-will-be-having-to-make-some-choices-as-to-whose-side-it/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [For example, lead paint in old houses can be a greater threat to children's health than lead that may be under some industrial site…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/for-example-lead-paint-in-old-houses-can-be-a-greater-threat-to/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) [Explore all 77 Fred Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) ## More Competence quotes > [A bad artist almost always tries to conceal his incompetence by whooping up a new formula.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/a-bad-artist-almost-always-tries-to-conceal-his-incompetence-by/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“You understand how much you know about a subject the moment you give explanations to someone who doesn't know anything about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigina-sgarro/you-understand-how-much-you-know-about-a-subject-the-moment-you-give/) [Luigina Sgarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigina-sgarro/) > [Bruce Katz is a spectacular talent! He's a brilliant composer and arranger who uses uncommon and unique musical intelligence to redefine jazz and blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-coryell/bruce-katz-is-a-spectacular-talent-he-s-a-brilliant-composer-and/) [Larry Coryell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-coryell/) > [Let us be thankful for health and competence, and, above all, for a quiet conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/let-us-be-thankful-for-health-and-competence-and-above-all-for-a/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [“it is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didnt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-buren/it-is-easier-to-do-a-job-right-than-to-explain-why-you-didnt/) [Martin Van Buren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-buren/) > [Can you understand why the Congress, most states and most cities refuse to pass legislation requiring the registration and licensing of any and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/can-you-understand-why-the-congress-most-states-and-most-cities/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [You can't fake competence, creativity, or sexual arousal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/you-can-t-fake-competence-creativity-or-sexual-arousal/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Everybody's got a different circle of competence. The important thing is not how big the circle is. The important thing is staying inside the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/everybody-s-got-a-different-circle-of-competence-the-important-thing/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Friendships are nice. So is competence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/friendships-are-nice-so-is-competence/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [Having spent years ruining the housing markets with their interference, leading to a housing meltdown that has taken the whole economy down with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/having-spent-years-ruining-the-housing-markets-with-their/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [ A nominee \[to Supreme Court\] must possess the competence, character and temperament to serve on the bench. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kohl/a-nominee-to-supreme-court-must-possess-the-competence-character-and/) [Herb Kohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kohl/) > [Over the first two weeks of the Donald Trump administration, Steve Bannon has emerged as one of the most powerful figures in the White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-goodman/over-the-first-two-weeks-of-the-donald-trump-administration-steve/) [Amy Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-goodman/) > [The individual attributes of warmth and competence are often perceived to be negatively correlated. That doesn't mean they actually are, but that's how people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/the-individual-attributes-of-warmth-and-competence-are-often/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively; unless you can choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/do-not-stop-thinking-of-life-as-an-adventure-you-have-no-security/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Great writers zealously learn the craft of their profession so they can release the power and the depth of their imagination and experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-bishop/great-writers-zealously-learn-the-craft-of-their-profession-so-they/) [Leonard Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-bishop/) Browse all 452 Competence quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's a lot more to competence than a law degree and a modicum of courtroom skill.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fred Thompson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/there-s-a-lot-more-to-competence-than-a-law-degree-and-a-modicum-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Competence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/there-s-a-lot-more-to-competence-than-a-law-degree-and-a-modicum-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60a/fred-thompson-8900_competence_there-s-a-lot-more-to-competence-than-a_670834.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60a/fred-thompson-8900_competence_there-s-a-lot-more-to-competence-than-a_670834.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60a/fred-thompson-8900_competence_there-s-a-lot-more-to-competence-than-a_670834.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There's a lot more to competence than a law degree and a modicum of courtroom skill.” — Fred Thompson", "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": "Fred Thompson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There's a lot more to competence...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/there-s-a-lot-more-to-competence-than-a-law-degree-and-a-modicum-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/there-s-a-lot-more-to-competence-than-a-law-degree-and-a-modicum-of/#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 } } ] } ```