Bounds Quote by Jean de la Bruyere
“A man may have intelligence enough to excel in a particular thing and lecture on it, and yet not have sense enough to know he ought to be silent on some other subject of which he has but a slight knowledge; if such an illustrious man ventures beyond the bounds of his capacity, he loses his way and talks like a fool.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Les Caractères, 1688
Specialists may speak author outside their expertise, appearing foolish.
In simple terms: Experts should stay silent on topics they barely know.
Key Takeaway
Know the limits of your knowledge.
Themes
humility
expertise
communication
Mood
thoughtful
cautious
Type
philosophical
advice
When to use this quote
- public speaking
- teaching
- leadership
- decision making
Key Concepts
philosophy
education
Questions to Reflect On
- When should you admit ignorance?
- How does humility affect influence?
A Different Perspective
Overconfidence can damage credibility.
![“Like Anaximander, [Anaxagoras] believed that everything emerged from something indeterminate and confused; but he added that what caused the emergence from that state was the organizing intelligence, the Mind, just as in man, it is the intelligence which draws thought from cerebral undulations…” quote by Emile Faguet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/da8/emile-faguet-78658_intelligence_like-anaximander-anaxagoras-believed-tha_1399379.jpg)
![“The court is like a palace built of marble; I mean that it is made up of very hard but very polished people. [Fr., La cour est comme un edifice bati de marbre; je veux dire qu'elle est composee d'hommes fort durs mais fort polis.]” quote by Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fcf/jean-de-la-bruyere-575_built_the-court-is-like-a-palace-built-of-marb_77288.jpg)
