--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It has been said that a specialist is a…" description: "\"“It has been said that a specialist is a barbarian whose ignorance is not well-rounded”\" — Stanisław Lem" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a73/stanis-aw-lem-7489_ignorance_it-has-been-said-that-a-specialist-is-a_2172376.jpg" --- # It has been said that a specialist is a barbarian whose… ![“It has been said that a specialist is a barbarian whose ignorance is not well-rounded” quote by Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a73/stanis-aw-lem-7489_ignorance_it-has-been-said-that-a-specialist-is-a_2172376.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a73/stanis-aw-lem-7489_ignorance_it-has-been-said-that-a-specialist-is-a_2172376.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a73/stanis-aw-lem-7489_ignorance_it-has-been-said-that-a-specialist-is-a_2172376.jpg) > ““It has been said that a specialist is a barbarian whose ignorance is not well-rounded”” [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Specialists often lack broad knowledge, making them seem uncultured outside their field. **In simple terms:** Experts can be narrow-minded. Key Takeaway Cultivate a well-rounded perspective. Themes knowledge specialization humility Mood curious analytical Type advisory inspirational When to use this quote - career development - education - interdisciplinary work - personal learning Key Concepts Intellectual breadth expertise limits Questions to Reflect On - How can specialists broaden their horizons? - What balance between depth and breadth is ideal? A Different Perspective Specialists provide depth, which is also valuable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Barbarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarian/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) ## Related quotes > [A specialist is a barbarian whose ignorance is not well-rounded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-lem/a-specialist-is-a-barbarian-whose-ignorance-is-not-well-rounded/) [Stanislaw Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-lem/) > [We now live in the era of the super-specialist - of clinicians who have taken the time to practice at one narrow thing until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/we-now-live-in-the-era-of-the-super-specialist-of-clinicians-who-have/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [Only when you get into TV and film, do people really want you to be a 'specialist'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/only-when-you-get-into-tv-and-film-do-people-really-want-you-to-be-a/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [I was an international tax specialist. Yeah, I was an international man of mystery and tax specialist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-pagliuca/i-was-an-international-tax-specialist-yeah-i-was-an-international-man/) [Stephen Pagliuca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-pagliuca/) > [“¿permanent vashi¿09829394706¿blackmagic specialist molviji”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sulemaanji/permanent-vashi-09829394706-blackmagic-specialist-molviji/) SULEMAANJI > [Being a specialist is one thing, getting a job is another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-leacock/being-a-specialist-is-one-thing-getting-a-job-is-another/) [Stephen Leacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-leacock/) > [I became a specialist at comedic one-liners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-hutton/i-became-a-specialist-at-comedic-one-liners/) [Lauren Hutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-hutton/) > [He's a specialist in failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-mourinho/he-s-a-specialist-in-failure/) [Jose Mourinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-mourinho/) > [In 2002, a Scottish journalist, during a dinner meant to be private, absolutely wanted me to react to Stephen Hawking's comments. I said one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/in-2002-a-scottish-journalist-during-a-dinner-meant-to-be-private/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [The wonderful thing about the talking dog collars in 'UP' is that we were able to hear the thoughts of the dogs without moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-peterson/the-wonderful-thing-about-the-talking-dog-collars-in-up-is-that-we/) [Bob Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-peterson/) > [In October 1920 I went to Leeds as Reader in English Language, with a free commission to develop the linguistic side of a large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/in-october-1920-i-went-to-leeds-as-reader-in-english-language-with-a/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [I'm a knockout specialist who comes to fight and who's exciting to watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimi-manuwa/i-m-a-knockout-specialist-who-comes-to-fight-and-who-s-exciting-to/) [Jimi Manuwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimi-manuwa/) > [Army Specialist Bradley Manning deserves a medal, not prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/army-specialist-bradley-manning-deserves-a-medal-not-prison/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [My specialist subject is football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-howe/my-specialist-subject-is-football/) [Eddie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-howe/) > [I've been working with a holistic specialist, trying to bring my body into balance, and part of making that happen is putting my mom's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corbin-bernsen/i-ve-been-working-with-a-holistic-specialist-trying-to-bring-my-body/) [Corbin Bernsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corbin-bernsen/) ## More by Stanisław Lem > [“We take off into the cosmos, ready for anything: for solitude, for hardship, for exhaustion, death. Modesty forbids us to say so, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/we-take-off-into-the-cosmos-ready-for-anything-for-solitude-for/) [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) > [“It might hear us. But what's its name? We have named all the stars and all the planets, even though they might already have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/it-might-hear-us-but-what-s-its-name-we-have-named-all-the-stars-and/) [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) > [“We came here as we truly are, and when the other side shows us that truth—the part of it we pass over in silence—we’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/we-came-here-as-we-truly-are-and-when-the-other-side-shows-us-that/) [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) > [“It's true that even though I'm a world unto myself, I've just a speck of dust in the avalanche of events. But nothing will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/it-s-true-that-even-though-i-m-a-world-unto-myself-i-ve-just-a-speck/) [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) > [“maybe he fought it off and forgot about it, and he wasn’t afraid, because he knew he’d never carry it out. Right, but now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/maybe-he-fought-it-off-and-forgot-about-it-and-he-wasn-t-afraid/) [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) > [“The human mind is only capable of absorbing a few things at a time. We see what is taking place in front of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/the-human-mind-is-only-capable-of-absorbing-a-few-things-at-a-time-we/) [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) > [“I don't think anything can behave as unintelligently as intelligence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/i-don-t-think-anything-can-behave-as-unintelligently-as-intelligence/) [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) > [“Not that this deterred him and his friend Klapaucius from further experimentation, which showed that the extent of a dragon's existence depends mainly on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/not-that-this-deterred-him-and-his-friend-klapaucius-from-further/) [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) > [“A man craves ultimate truths. Every mortal mind, I think, is that way. But what is ultimate truth? It's the end of the road,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/a-man-craves-ultimate-truths-every-mortal-mind-i-think-is-that-way/) [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) > [“Was it possible for thought to exist without consciousness?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/was-it-possible-for-thought-to-exist-without-consciousness/) [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) > [“Evolution is, as an engineer, an opportunist, not a perfectionist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/evolution-is-as-an-engineer-an-opportunist-not-a-perfectionist/) [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) > [“I didn’t believe for a minute that this liquid colossus, which had brought about the death of hundreds of humans within itself, with which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/i-didn-t-believe-for-a-minute-that-this-liquid-colossus-which-had/) [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) > [“Such labor follows in the steps of Freud, who has become the Ptolemy of psychology, for now, with him, anyone can explain human phenomena,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/such-labor-follows-in-the-steps-of-freud-who-has-become-the-ptolemy/) [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) > [“One of the most incredible secrets of science fiction (although one not too closely guarded) is the fact that 99 percent of its authors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/one-of-the-most-incredible-secrets-of-science-fiction-although-one/) [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) > [“Ants that encounter in their path a dead philosopher may make good use of him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/ants-that-encounter-in-their-path-a-dead-philosopher-may-make-good/) [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) [Explore all 77 Stanisław Lem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) ## More Barbarian quotes > [One simply cannot engage in barbarous action without becoming a barbarian, because one cannot defend human values by calculated and unprovoked violence without doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/one-simply-cannot-engage-in-barbarous-action-without-becoming-a/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [If you go back to the Conan the Barbarian series, I really liked that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-braugher/if-you-go-back-to-the-conan-the-barbarian-series-i-really-liked-that/) [Andre Braugher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-braugher/) > [“(First Barbarian): whats the difference between a lord and a barbarian? (second Barbarian): As little as a week!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gonick/first-barbarian-whats-the-difference-between-a-lord-and-a-barbarian/) Larry Gonick > [There are three attributes for which I am grateful to Fortune: that I was born, first, human and not animal; second, man and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thales/there-are-three-attributes-for-which-i-am-grateful-to-fortune-that-i/) [Thales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thales/) > [“It wasn't too much, to take a frail figure into one's arms for those last moments of life. Better than a cot, or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/it-wasn-t-too-much-to-take-a-frail-figure-into-one-s-arms-for-those/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“The barbarian loves his own pride, and hates, or disbelieves in, the pride of others. I will be a civilized being, I will love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-blixen/the-barbarian-loves-his-own-pride-and-hates-or-disbelieves-in-the/) [Karen Blixen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-blixen/) > [“The Barbarian hopes — and that is the mark of him, that he can have his cake and eat it too.He will consume what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/the-barbarian-hopes-and-that-is-the-mark-of-him-that-he-can-have-his/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [“I don't believe in virgin sacrifice. It encourages promiscuity at an early age”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrianne-ambrose/i-don-t-believe-in-virgin-sacrifice-it-encourages-promiscuity-at-an/) Adrianne Ambrose > [It is better to kill the barbarian during his coming than to tell your children that there was culture, but the barbarians came and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/it-is-better-to-kill-the-barbarian-during-his-coming-than-to-tell/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [How is it that in the so-called barbarian ages art was understood, whereas in our age of progress exactly the opposite is true?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-auguste-renoir/how-is-it-that-in-the-so-called-barbarian-ages-art-was-understood/) [Pierre-Auguste Renoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-auguste-renoir/) > [The true barbarian is he who thinks everything barbarous but his own tastes and prejudices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-true-barbarian-is-he-who-thinks-everything-barbarous-but-his-own/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Conan the Barbarian,' 'Star Wars,' 'Mary Poppins' and 'The Wizard of Oz' were my earliest VHS obsessions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-eggers/conan-the-barbarian-star-wars-mary-poppins-and-the-wizard-of-oz-were/) [Robert Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-eggers/) > [“It was as if all my life had been spent fighting, killing and running. I wanted peace but I knew it was unattainable. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-nath/it-was-as-if-all-my-life-had-been-spent-fighting-killing-and-running/) Fredrik Nath > [“How DARE you and the rest of your barbarians set fire to my library? Play conqueror all you want, Mighty Caesar ! Rape, murder,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-buchman/how-dare-you-and-the-rest-of-your-barbarians-set-fire-to-my-library/) sidney buchman > [To be a great autocrat you must be a great barbarian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/to-be-a-great-autocrat-you-must-be-a-great-barbarian/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) [Browse all 88 Barbarian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It has been said that a specialist is a barbarian whose ignorance is not well-rounded”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stanisław Lem" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/it-has-been-said-that-a-specialist-is-a-barbarian-whose-ignorance-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Barbarian" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/it-has-been-said-that-a-specialist-is-a-barbarian-whose-ignorance-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a73/stanis-aw-lem-7489_ignorance_it-has-been-said-that-a-specialist-is-a_2172376.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a73/stanis-aw-lem-7489_ignorance_it-has-been-said-that-a-specialist-is-a_2172376.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a73/stanis-aw-lem-7489_ignorance_it-has-been-said-that-a-specialist-is-a_2172376.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It has been said that a specialist is a barbarian whose ignorance is not well-rounded” — Stanisław Lem", "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": "Stanisław Lem", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It has been said that a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/it-has-been-said-that-a-specialist-is-a-barbarian-whose-ignorance-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/it-has-been-said-that-a-specialist-is-a-barbarian-whose-ignorance-is/#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 } } ] } ```