--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Harry S. Truman, in his typical…" description: "\"“Harry S. Truman, in his typical no-nonsense style, once said that ‘An expert is someone who doesn’t want to learn anything new, because then he would ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9da/ha-joon-chang-3497_expert_harry-s-truman-in-his-typical-no-nonsens_207375.png" --- # Harry S. Truman, in his typical no-nonsense style, once… ![“Harry S. Truman, in his typical no-nonsense style, once said that ‘An expert is someone who doesn’t want to learn anything new, because then he would not be an expert.’ Expert knowledge is absolutely necessary, but” quote by Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9da/ha-joon-chang-3497_expert_harry-s-truman-in-his-typical-no-nonsens_207375.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9da/ha-joon-chang-3497_expert_harry-s-truman-in-his-typical-no-nonsens_207375.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9da/ha-joon-chang-3497_expert_harry-s-truman-in-his-typical-no-nonsens_207375.png) > ““Harry S. Truman, in his typical no-nonsense style, once said that ‘An expert is someone who doesn’t want to learn anything new, because then he would not be an expert.’ Expert knowledge is absolutely necessary, but”” [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An expert may resist new learning to protect their status, limiting growth. **In simple terms:** Experts may avoid learning to stay experts. Key Takeaway Stay curious despite expertise. Themes learning expertise growth Mood reflective critical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career development - academic research - skill acquisition - organizational change Key Concepts status quo bias continuous improvement Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance expertise with openness to new ideas? - What habits keep you learning? A Different Perspective Resistance to learning can hinder innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expert/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) ## Related quotes > [“An expert is someone who doesn't want to learn anything new, because then he would not be an expert”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-truman/an-expert-is-someone-who-doesn-t-want-to-learn-anything-new-because/) [Harry Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-truman/) > [I said that an expert was a fella who was afraid to learn anything new because then he wouldn't be an expert anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/i-said-that-an-expert-was-a-fella-who-was-afraid-to-learn-anything/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [What's an expert? I read somewhere, that the more a man knows, the more he knows, he doesn't know. So I suppose one definition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/what-s-an-expert-i-read-somewhere-that-the-more-a-man-knows-the-more/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [Expert knowledge is limited knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/expert-knowledge-is-limited-knowledge/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [“If you cannot recognize the problem, there is no way that I could explain it to you." He laughed, damn the man. "My goodness,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/if-you-cannot-recognize-the-problem-there-is-no-way-that-i-could/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [I don't like to claim that I am an expert on anything, but I have enough knowledge about climate science and climate system to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-soon/i-don-t-like-to-claim-that-i-am-an-expert-on-anything-but-i-have/) [Willie Soon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-soon/) > [“Sonnet 1106 When an expert doesn't know something, They say, "I don't know", without tricks. But an armchair intellectual knows it all, Tiktok and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/sonnet-1106-when-an-expert-doesn-t-know-something-they-say-i-don-t/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“nothing would be more fatal than for the Government of States to get in the hands of experts. Expert knowledge is limited knowledge, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/nothing-would-be-more-fatal-than-for-the-government-of-states-to-get/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Look, science is hard, it has a reputation of being hard, and the facts are, it is hard, and that's the result of 400…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/look-science-is-hard-it-has-a-reputation-of-being-hard-and-the-facts/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [“Talent alone does not make someone an expert.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-santrock/talent-alone-does-not-make-someone-an-expert/) John W. Santrock > [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/) > [An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a narrow field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/an-expert-is-a-man-who-has-made-all-the-mistakes-which-can-be-made-in/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [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 Ha-Joon Chang > [“In no country does the average income give the right picture of how people live but in a country with higher inequality it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/in-no-country-does-the-average-income-give-the-right-picture-of-how/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Sometimes people with strong ideology, whether left-wing or right-wing, refuse to do something simply because they believe it is wrong, when doing it actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/sometimes-people-with-strong-ideology-whether-left-wing-or-right-wing/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Every market has some rules and boundaries that restrict freedom of choice. A market looks free only because we so unconditionally accept its underlying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/every-market-has-some-rules-and-boundaries-that-restrict-freedom-of/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Indeed, willingness to challenge professional economists and other experts is a foundation stone of democracy. If all we have to do is to listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/indeed-willingness-to-challenge-professional-economists-and-other/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [If we are really serious about preventing another crisis like the 2008 meltdown we should simply ban complex financial instruments, unless they can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/if-we-are-really-serious-about-preventing-another-crisis-like-the/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Rational thinking is an important aspect of human nature, but we have imagination, we have ambition, we have irrational fear, we are swayed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/rational-thinking-is-an-important-aspect-of-human-nature-but-we-have/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [The history of capitalism has been so totally re-written that many people in the rich world do not perceive the historical double standards involved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/the-history-of-capitalism-has-been-so-totally-re-written-that-many/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Equality of opportunity is meaningless for those who do not have the capabilities to take advantage of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/equality-of-opportunity-is-meaningless-for-those-who-do-not-have-the/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [The higher education system in these countries (US, Korea etc) has become like a theatre in which some people decided to stand to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/the-higher-education-system-in-these-countries-us-korea-etc-has/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [What free-market economists are not telling us is that the politics they want to get rid of are none other than those of democracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/what-free-market-economists-are-not-telling-us-is-that-the-politics/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [ “Joseph Schumpeter emphasized that all analysis in economics is preceded by a pre-analytical cognitive act, called vision, in which the analyst ‘visualise\[s\] a distinct… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/joseph-schumpeter-emphasized-that-all-analysis-in-economics-is/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [“All technical professionals have an incentive to make themselves look more complicated than they are so that they can justify the high fees their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/all-technical-professionals-have-an-incentive-to-make-themselves-look/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [I'm not an anti-capitalist, or anarchist. I want capitalism to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/i-m-not-an-anti-capitalist-or-anarchist-i-want-capitalism-to-work/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [“all technical professions have an incentive to make themselves look more complicated than they really are so that they can justify the high fees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/all-technical-professions-have-an-incentive-to-make-themselves-look/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [As South Korea shows, active participation in international trade does not require free trade. Indeed, had South Korea pursued free trade and not promoted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/as-south-korea-shows-active-participation-in-international-trade-does/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) [Explore all 129 Ha-Joon Chang quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) ## More Expert quotes > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a narrow field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/an-expert-is-a-man-who-has-made-all-the-mistakes-which-can-be-made-in/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [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/) > [“Talent alone does not make someone an expert.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-santrock/talent-alone-does-not-make-someone-an-expert/) John W. Santrock > [Look, science is hard, it has a reputation of being hard, and the facts are, it is hard, and that's the result of 400…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/look-science-is-hard-it-has-a-reputation-of-being-hard-and-the-facts/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [I can play 'Guitar Hero,' most of the songs on Medium and some of the songs on Hard. No Expert.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-hansen/i-can-play-guitar-hero-most-of-the-songs-on-medium-and-some-of-the/) [Ryan Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-hansen/) > [A man who is invested takes the time to get to know you well, and his gifts will be a testament to his expert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-hussey/a-man-who-is-invested-takes-the-time-to-get-to-know-you-well-and-his/) [Matthew Hussey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-hussey/) > [An expert is somebody who is more than 50 miles from home, has no responsibility for implementing the advice he gives, and shows slides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-meese/an-expert-is-somebody-who-is-more-than-50-miles-from-home-has-no/) [Edwin Meese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-meese/) > [“Fit yourself where you are before you fix yourself where you can be!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/fit-yourself-where-you-are-before-you-fix-yourself-where-you-can-be/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Experts don't know exactly where the boundaries of their expertise are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/experts-don-t-know-exactly-where-the-boundaries-of-their-expertise-are/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [Experts are human, and humans respond to incentives. How any given expert treats you, therefore, will depend on how that expert's incentives are set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levitt/experts-are-human-and-humans-respond-to-incentives-how-any-given/) [Steven Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levitt/) > [When you're an expert in a subject, you can retain new factoids on your favorite topic easily. This only works for the subjects you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/when-you-re-an-expert-in-a-subject-you-can-retain-new-factoids-on/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [“I’m a scientific expert; that means I know nothing about absolutely everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-m-a-scientific-expert-that-means-i-know-nothing-about-absolutely/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) [Browse all 431 Expert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expert/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Harry S. 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