--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oh, I usually don't know a whole lot…" description: "\"Oh, I usually don't know a whole lot about a subject when I begin; the process itself teaches me a lot as I go along. Usually I know enough about one n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/jim-shepard-20533_areas_oh-i-usually-don-t-know-a-whole-lot-abou_3081059.jpg" --- # Oh, I usually don't know a whole lot about a subject when… ![“Oh, I usually don't know a whole lot about a subject when I begin; the process itself teaches me a lot as I go along. Usually I know enough about one narrow area of the subject to start myself going, and then everything - including a lot more research - follows from that.” quote by Jim Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/jim-shepard-20533_areas_oh-i-usually-don-t-know-a-whole-lot-abou_3081059.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/jim-shepard-20533_areas_oh-i-usually-don-t-know-a-whole-lot-abou_3081059.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/jim-shepard-20533_areas_oh-i-usually-don-t-know-a-whole-lot-abou_3081059.jpg) > “Oh, I usually don't know a whole lot about a subject when I begin; the process itself teaches me a lot as I go along. Usually I know enough about one narrow area of the subject to start myself going, and then everything - including a lot more research - follows from that.” [Jim Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Learning begins with limited knowledge; the process itself expands understanding through active engagement. **In simple terms:** Start with basics, learn as you go. Key Takeaway Embrace learning through doing. Themes learning growth curiosity Mood encouraging reflective Type motivational educational When to use this quote - starting a new hobby - research project - career transition Key Concepts experiential learning knowledge acquisition Questions to Reflect On - What small step can you take to start learning? - How does active practice deepen knowledge? A Different Perspective Limited initial knowledge may cause early mistakes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Areas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/areas/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Including](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/including/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Process Teaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process-teaches-2395897/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Research Follows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research-follows-5256131/) [Subject Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subject-begin-5256130/) [Subject Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subject-start-5256129/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Teaches Lot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaches-lot-1617620/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) ## Related quotes > [“The most important question for every client is "W X ho are you?" I'm not as interested in an answer as I am in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pipher/the-most-important-question-for-every-client-is-w-x-ho-are-you-i-m/) [Mary Pipher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pipher/) > [Death is astute as a master. It's a process that teaches people aspects of themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-lelio/death-is-astute-as-a-master-it-s-a-process-that-teaches-people/) [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) > [Just going through a full year of the NBA teaches you a lot of different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caris-levert/just-going-through-a-full-year-of-the-nba-teaches-you-a-lot-of/) [Caris LeVert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caris-levert/) > [Failure teaches you a lot more than success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smriti-mandhana/failure-teaches-you-a-lot-more-than-success/) [Smriti Mandhana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smriti-mandhana/) > [A biopic teaches you a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diljit-dosanjh/a-biopic-teaches-you-a-lot/) [Diljit Dosanjh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diljit-dosanjh/) > [Every character, every story that you do, it teaches you a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tripti-dimri/every-character-every-story-that-you-do-it-teaches-you-a-lot/) [Tripti Dimri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tripti-dimri/) > [Fear Teaches Us A Lot About Ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-walton/fear-teaches-us-a-lot-about-ourselves/) [Karen Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-walton/) > [Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/sometimes-it-s-the-journey-that-teaches-you-a-lot-about-your/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [One of the Internet's highest-profile companies, Priceline once dreamed of transforming the way consumer goods are bought and sold by offering customers the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/one-of-the-internet-s-highest-profile-companies-priceline-once/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/) [Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/) > [Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/just-as-everybody-has-the-vote-including-women-i-think-children/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [I believe that simple, consistent shifts in our thinking and actions can lead to the miraculous in all aspects of our daily lives, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/i-believe-that-simple-consistent-shifts-in-our-thinking-and-actions/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [We plan to eliminate the state of Israel and establish a purely Palestinian state. We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasser-arafat/we-plan-to-eliminate-the-state-of-israel-and-establish-a-purely/) [Yasser Arafat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasser-arafat/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [With young kids (I have four including the newborn) times passes weirdly for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-s-kemp/with-young-kids-i-have-four-including-the-newborn-times-passes/) [Paul S. Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-s-kemp/) ## More by Jim Shepard > [I very much like people. I don't much like writers who don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/i-very-much-like-people-i-don-t-much-like-writers-who-don-t/) [Jim Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/) > [I love the box that such a decision puts you in, and I love the interest the reader has in seeing how you negotiate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/i-love-the-box-that-such-a-decision-puts-you-in-and-i-love-the/) [Jim Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/) > [I don't think conservativism is about a deficiency. I think it's about a commitment to an ideology that has to in some ways devalue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/i-don-t-think-conservativism-is-about-a-deficiency-i-think-it-s-about/) [Jim Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/) > [What makes us threaten the things we want most?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/what-makes-us-threaten-the-things-we-want-most/) [Jim Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/) > [I do find stories - or literary fiction - an apt form for analyzing the world. And especially for trying to imagine the other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/i-do-find-stories-or-literary-fiction-an-apt-form-for-analyzing-the/) [Jim Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/) > [Does research get in the way of the story? It certainly can. Anything can, given that as writers we're all geniuses at procrastination. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/does-research-get-in-the-way-of-the-story-it-certainly-can-anything/) [Jim Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/) > [“But what I did was the kind of thing you'd do and the kind of thing you've done: I felt bad for him and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/but-what-i-did-was-the-kind-of-thing-you-d-do-and-the-kind-of-thing/) [Jim Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/) > [I have written screenplays. Most recently for Errol Morris, who was thinking about doing his first fiction movie, and with a young director who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/i-have-written-screenplays-most-recently-for-errol-morris-who-was/) [Jim Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/) > [Class is the most taboo subject in America. The American media would rather talk about race or perversion or anything else considered taboo before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/class-is-the-most-taboo-subject-in-america-the-american-media-would/) [Jim Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/) > [I don't beat at the details, but I do always keep in mind that anything that isn't A) moving the story forward or B)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/i-don-t-beat-at-the-details-but-i-do-always-keep-in-mind-that/) [Jim Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/) > [Empathy is a human trait. But lots of humans exercise some traits more energetically than others. By "the usefulness of empathy" I mean the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/empathy-is-a-human-trait-but-lots-of-humans-exercise-some-traits-more/) [Jim Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/) > [“But this is the only account hand-copied and tacked to my bulletin board, the testimony of a Dutch pilot caught on shore near Anjer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/but-this-is-the-only-account-hand-copied-and-tacked-to-my-bulletin/) [Jim Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/) > [I'm tempted to do everything. And sometimes I think, "Oh, come on. You can stick that detail somewhere."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/i-m-tempted-to-do-everything-and-sometimes-i-think-oh-come-on-you-can/) [Jim Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/) > [I'll find something in what I read that snags my imagination in emotional terms; it resonates with me for reasons more complicated than just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/i-ll-find-something-in-what-i-read-that-snags-my-imagination-in/) [Jim Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/) > [It turns out that our intuition is a greater genius than we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/it-turns-out-that-our-intuition-is-a-greater-genius-than-we-are/) [Jim Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/) [Explore all 30 Jim Shepard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/) ## More Areas quotes > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-that-i-ve-spent-trying-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The earliest language was body language and, since this language is the language of questions, if we limit the questions, and if we only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-earliest-language-was-body-language-and-since-this-language-is/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [People don't want to believe that technology is broken. Pharmaceuticals, robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology - all these areas where the progress has been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/people-don-t-want-to-believe-that-technology-is-broken/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [It's absolutely fun to walk around and have people respect you. When Michael Jackson did Thriller, I was in the park one day, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/it-s-absolutely-fun-to-walk-around-and-have-people-respect-you-when/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) > [Software will get to be somewhat more mature, ah, but it will never be as predictable as most areas of engineering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-will-get-to-be-somewhat-more-mature-ah-but-it-will-never-be/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [The discrepancy between what actually happened and the version of what happened provided by sources is an enormous gray area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/the-discrepancy-between-what-actually-happened-and-the-version-of/) [Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/) > [Louisville is a place with no labels. It’s not the South, it’s not Chicago, and you don’t think of it as you think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-james/louisville-is-a-place-with-no-labels-it-s-not-the-south-it-s-not/) [Jim James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-james/) > [It turns out that this part of the brain is one of the first areas that's attacked by Alzheimer's disease. So we can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-keefe/it-turns-out-that-this-part-of-the-brain-is-one-of-the-first-areas/) [John O'Keefe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-keefe/) > [Engaging the city around us and ministering to its needs reveal to us the remaining bastions of sin in our lives, the areas we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-chandler/engaging-the-city-around-us-and-ministering-to-its-needs-reveal-to-us/) [Matt Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-chandler/) > [I believe it is a mistake to isolate arms control from other areas of policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/i-believe-it-is-a-mistake-to-isolate-arms-control-from-other-areas-of/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Well, the U.N. Security Council resolution 1973 is very clear. It says all necessary measures to be taken to protect civilians and civilian areas.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-jackson/well-the-u-n-security-council-resolution-1973-is-very-clear-it-says/) [Mike Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-jackson/) > [When in one area of the world the standard of living and the size of the middle class increases, it is going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lagarde/when-in-one-area-of-the-world-the-standard-of-living-and-the-size-of/) [Christine Lagarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lagarde/) [Browse all 2,612 Areas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/areas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Oh, I usually don't know a whole lot about a subject when I begin; the process itself teaches me a lot as I go along. Usually I know enough about one narrow area of the subject to start myself going, and then everything - including a lot more research - follows from that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jim Shepard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/oh-i-usually-don-t-know-a-whole-lot-about-a-subject-when-i-begin-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Areas" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/oh-i-usually-don-t-know-a-whole-lot-about-a-subject-when-i-begin-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/jim-shepard-20533_areas_oh-i-usually-don-t-know-a-whole-lot-abou_3081059.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/jim-shepard-20533_areas_oh-i-usually-don-t-know-a-whole-lot-abou_3081059.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fe/jim-shepard-20533_areas_oh-i-usually-don-t-know-a-whole-lot-abou_3081059.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Oh, I usually don't know a whole lot about a subject when I begin; the process itself teaches me a lot as I…” — Jim Shepard", "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": "Jim Shepard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shepard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Oh, I usually don't know a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/oh-i-usually-don-t-know-a-whole-lot-about-a-subject-when-i-begin-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shepard/oh-i-usually-don-t-know-a-whole-lot-about-a-subject-when-i-begin-the/#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 } } ] } ```