Alexander Pope Quote - A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.

Cautionary Quotes

A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.

"A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring."

— Alexander Pope

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Author: Alexander Pope
Category: Cautionary
Tags: Cautionary Humility Knowledge Learning Reflective

Meaning of this quote

Limited knowledge can create confidence that deeper study would temper.

Key takeaway: Study beyond an appealing first impression.

Origin of the quote

The Complete Poetical Works of Alexander Pope — PDF page 107.

Who actually said this?

Verified

Exact wording matched in the consulted text; case, punctuation, spacing and typographic differences were normalized. Read the poem’s speaker and satire in context. Deduplication: a shorter or closely overlapping variant was removed. Deduplication: a shorter or closely overlapping variant was removed.

Attributed author: Alexander Pope

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