---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No man can thoroughly master more than…"
description: "\"No man can thoroughly master more than one art or science.\" — William Hazlitt"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa6/william-hazlitt-326_accounts_no-man-can-thoroughly-master-more-than-o_2511512.png"
---

#  No man can thoroughly master more than one art or science.

![“No man can thoroughly master more than one art or science.” quote by William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa6/william-hazlitt-326_accounts_no-man-can-thoroughly-master-more-than-o_2511512.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa6/william-hazlitt-326_accounts_no-man-can-thoroughly-master-more-than-o_2511512.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa6/william-hazlitt-326_accounts_no-man-can-thoroughly-master-more-than-o_2511512.png)

> “No man can thoroughly master more than one art or science.”

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Argues that deep expertise requires focus on a single discipline.

**In simple terms:** Mastery demands dedicated focus on one field.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize depth over breadth.

Themes

focus expertise discipline

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

philosophical educational

When to use this quote

- career planning
- academic study
- skill development

Key Concepts

cognitive psychology education theory

Questions to Reflect On

- Can you balance depth with interdisciplinary curiosity?
- What are the risks of over‑specialization?

A Different Perspective

Specialization may limit interdisciplinary insight.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accounts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-science-234539/) [Man Thoroughly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-thoroughly-690166/) [Master](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/master/) [Master Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/master-art-760778/) [Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masters/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Thoroughly Master](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoroughly-master-1160288/)

## Related quotes

> [To sell is above all to master the art and science of listening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/to-sell-is-above-all-to-master-the-art-and-science-of-listening/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/the-master-in-the-art-of-living-makes-little-distinction-between-his/)

[James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/)

> [It is a grand thing to see a man thoroughly possessed with one master-passion. Such a man is sure to be strong, and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/it-is-a-grand-thing-to-see-a-man-thoroughly-possessed-with-one-master/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [Every man is thoroughly happy twice in his life: just after he has met his first love, and just after he has left his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-mencken/every-man-is-thoroughly-happy-twice-in-his-life-just-after-he-has-met/)

[Henry Louis Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-mencken/)

> [No man thoroughly understands a truth until he has contended against it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-man-thoroughly-understands-a-truth-until-he-has-contended-against/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“As you first see him he wonders frequently whether he is not without honor and slightly mad, a shameful and obscene thinness glistening on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/as-you-first-see-him-he-wonders-frequently-whether-he-is-not-without/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [Whether statistics be an art or a science... or a scientific art, we concern ourselves little. It is the basis of social and political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolphe-quetelet/whether-statistics-be-an-art-or-a-science-or-a-scientific-art-we/)

[Adolphe Quetelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolphe-quetelet/)

> [Paradoxical as it may at first appear, the fact is that, as W. H. George has said, scientific research is an art, not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ian-beardmore-beveridge/paradoxical-as-it-may-at-first-appear-the-fact-is-that-as-w-h-george/)

[William Ian Beardmore Beveridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ian-beardmore-beveridge/)

> [Gradually, ... the aspect of science as knowledge is being thrust into the background by the aspect of science as the power of manipulating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/gradually-the-aspect-of-science-as-knowledge-is-being-thrust-into-the/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [“One who lives out of the box must learn to master the art of homelessness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-tyrone-jones/one-who-lives-out-of-the-box-must-learn-to-master-the-art-of/)

[Curtis Tyrone Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-tyrone-jones/)

> [I shall become a master in this art only after a great deal of practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/i-shall-become-a-master-in-this-art-only-after-a-great-deal-of/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between her work and her play; her labor and her leisure; her mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-master-in-the-art-of-living-draws-no-sharp-distinction-between-her/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labour and his leisure; his mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-p-jacks-2/a-master-in-the-art-of-living-draws-no-sharp-distinction-between-his/)

[L.P. Jacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-p-jacks-2/)

> [Art, as far as it is able, follows nature, as a pupil imitates his master; thus your art must be, as it were, God's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/art-as-far-as-it-is-able-follows-nature-as-a-pupil-imitates-his/)

[Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/)

> [An unsurpassed master of the art of laying bare the inmost core of spiritual truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geza-vermes/an-unsurpassed-master-of-the-art-of-laying-bare-the-inmost-core-of/)

[Geza Vermes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geza-vermes/)

## More by William Hazlitt

> [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-art-of-life-is-to-know-how-to-enjoy-a-little-and-to-endure-very/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [We are thankful for good-will rather than for services, for the motive than the quantum of favor received.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-are-thankful-for-good-will-rather-than-for-services-for-the-motive/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The discussing the characters and foibles of common friends is a great sweetness and cement of friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-discussing-the-characters-and-foibles-of-common-friends-is-a/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Want of principle is power. Truth and honesty set a limit to our efforts, which impudence and hypocrisy easily overleap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/want-of-principle-is-power-truth-and-honesty-set-a-limit-to-our/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Repose is as necessary in conversation as in a picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/repose-is-as-necessary-in-conversation-as-in-a-picture/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [No act terminating in itself constitutes greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/no-act-terminating-in-itself-constitutes-greatness/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Vice is man's nature: virtue is a habit--or a mask.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/vice-is-man-s-nature-virtue-is-a-habit-or-a-mask/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [We never do anything well till we cease to think about the manner doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-never-do-anything-well-till-we-cease-to-think-about-the-manner/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/man-is-the-only-animal-that-laughs-and-weeps-for-he-is-the-only/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Those who have had none of the cares of this life to harass and disturb them, have been obliged to have recourse to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/those-who-have-had-none-of-the-cares-of-this-life-to-harass-and/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Poverty, when it is voluntary, is never despicable, but takes an heroical aspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/poverty-when-it-is-voluntary-is-never-despicable-but-takes-an/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [We are not satisfied to be right, unless we can prove others to be quite wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-are-not-satisfied-to-be-right-unless-we-can-prove-others-to-be/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The world judge of men by their ability in their profession, and we judge of ourselves by the same test: for it is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-world-judge-of-men-by-their-ability-in-their-profession-and-we/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The best part of our lives we pass in counting on what is to come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-best-part-of-our-lives-we-pass-in-counting-on-what-is-to-come/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

[Explore all 671 William Hazlitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

## More Accounts quotes

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/)

[David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/)

> [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/)

[Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/)

> [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/)

[Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/)

> [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/you-ve-got-to-exercise-your-health-account-your-bank-account-they-re/)

[Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/)

> [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/stop-trying-to-treat-music-like-it-s-a-tennis-shoe-something-to-be/)

[Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/)

> [Anyone who thinks science is trying to make human life easier or more pleasant is utterly mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anyone-who-thinks-science-is-trying-to-make-human-life-easier-or-more/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [That surely must be a concern to anyone who decides this drug must be given to stop transmissions, again from mother to child, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/that-surely-must-be-a-concern-to-anyone-who-decides-this-drug-must-be/)

[Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/)

[Browse all 2,677 Accounts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "No man can thoroughly master more than one art or science.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Hazlitt"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/no-man-can-thoroughly-master-more-than-one-art-or-science/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accounts"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/no-man-can-thoroughly-master-more-than-one-art-or-science/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa6/william-hazlitt-326_accounts_no-man-can-thoroughly-master-more-than-o_2511512.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa6/william-hazlitt-326_accounts_no-man-can-thoroughly-master-more-than-o_2511512.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa6/william-hazlitt-326_accounts_no-man-can-thoroughly-master-more-than-o_2511512.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No man can thoroughly master more than one art or science.” — William Hazlitt",
                "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": "William Hazlitt",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "No man can thoroughly master more...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/no-man-can-thoroughly-master-more-than-one-art-or-science/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/no-man-can-thoroughly-master-more-than-one-art-or-science/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
