--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Farmers were always generalists. They had…" description: "\"Farmers were always generalists. They had to know science and commerce and all sorts of practical things.\" — Rush D. Holt, Jr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/rush-d-holt-jr-36215_always_farmers-were-always-generalists-they-had_701395.jpg" --- # Farmers were always generalists. They had to know science… ![“Farmers were always generalists. They had to know science and commerce and all sorts of practical things.” quote by Rush D. Holt, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/rush-d-holt-jr-36215_always_farmers-were-always-generalists-they-had_701395.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/rush-d-holt-jr-36215_always_farmers-were-always-generalists-they-had_701395.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c85/rush-d-holt-jr-36215_always_farmers-were-always-generalists-they-had_701395.jpg) > “Farmers were always generalists. They had to know science and commerce and all sorts of practical things.” [Rush D. Holt, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-d-holt-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Farmers historically needed broad knowledge across science, business, and practical skills to survive. **In simple terms:** Farmers had to know many things. Key Takeaway Cultivate diverse skills. Themes adaptability knowledge practicality Mood pragmatic reflective Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - rural entrepreneurship - sustainable farming - community leadership Key Concepts interdisciplinary expertise agricultural economics Questions to Reflect On - How can modern farmers balance specialization with broad knowledge? - What skills are most critical today? A Different Perspective Specialization may limit resilience in modern economies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Commerce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commerce/) [Farmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farmers/) [Generalists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generalists/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [I think the more you have a generalist perspective, I think sometimes the more you can kind of see through the forest and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-case/i-think-the-more-you-have-a-generalist-perspective-i-think-sometimes/) [Steve Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-case/) > [I was a generalist in college. You take a lot of courses to feel out what you're interested in. 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Intellectually lazy men settle for being specialists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/intellectually-curious-men-become-generalists-intellectually-lazy-men/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [In this age of specialization, I sometimes think of myself as the last 'generalist' in economics, with interests that range from mathematical economics down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/in-this-age-of-specialization-i-sometimes-think-of-myself-as-the-last/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [“A specialist’s mind is a slave to his specialization.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-specialist-s-mind-is-a-slave-to-his-specialization/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [We are generalists. You can't draw neat lines around planet-wide problems. Planetology is a cut-and-fit science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/we-are-generalists-you-can-t-draw-neat-lines-around-planet-wide/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Make sure a certain percentage of the people that you're hiring are generalists so that you can be, kind of reconfigured in the workforce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/make-sure-a-certain-percentage-of-the-people-that-you-re-hiring-are/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [It's one of the tragedies of the modern university that it offers little space to generalists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/it-s-one-of-the-tragedies-of-the-modern-university-that-it-offers/) [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) > [A tip for generalists who try to read economic research papers: If you get to a section that's incomprehensible, don't give up. 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I'm not a pastry cook, but I've had to learn a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/because-i-ve-done-a-lot-of-television-i-m-sort-of-a-generalist-i-m/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) ## More by Rush D. Holt, Jr > [There needs to be a public dawning - and it is beginning to dawn on some members of the public - that how science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-d-holt-jr/there-needs-to-be-a-public-dawning-and-it-is-beginning-to-dawn-on/) [Rush D. Holt, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-d-holt-jr/) > [The concern now is whether policymakers even understand the meaning of evidence. Whether there is any truth to this descriptor of "fact-free era." Whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-d-holt-jr/the-concern-now-is-whether-policymakers-even-understand-the-meaning/) [Rush D. Holt, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-d-holt-jr/) > [There is a sense that science and politics are incompatible. I don't think so at all. 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This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. 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