WIST Quotations

Byron, George Gordon, Lord -- “English Bards and Scotch Reviewers,” l. 66ff (1809)

Dave — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 14:58:52 +0000

With just enough of learning to misquote.

George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet
“English Bards and Scotch Reviewers,” l. 66ff (1809)
(Source)

Moliere -- Les Femmes Savantes [The Learned Ladies], Act 4, sc. 3 (1692) [tr. Van Laun (1876)]

Dave — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 19:35:35 +0000

CLITANDRE: A learned fool is more foolish than an ignorant fool.

[Un sot savant est sot plus qu’un sot ignorant.]

Molière (1622-1673) French playwright, actor [stage name for Jean-Baptiste Poquelin]
Les Femmes Savantes [The Learned Ladies], Act 4, sc. 3 (1692) [tr. Van Laun (1876)]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Other translations:

A learned Fool is more foolish than an ignorant Fool.
[tr. Clitandre (1739)]

A learned fool is more of a fool than an ignorant one.
[tr. Wall (1879), The Learned Women]

A learned fool is more foolish than an ignorant one.
[tr. Matthew (1890), The Blue-Stockings]

The learned fool is a far greater fool than the fool of ignorance.
[tr. Wormeley (1895), The Female Pedants]

A learned fool is a bigger fool than an ignorant one.
[tr. Waller (1903)]

There's no fool like a learned fool.
[tr. Page (1908)]

A learned fool is more foolish than an ignorant fool.
[tr. Marks (2018)]

Pope, Alexander -- “An Essay on Criticism,” Part 2, ll. 15-18 (1711)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 18:00:00 +0000

A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring:
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.

Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet
“An Essay on Criticism,” Part 2, ll. 15-18 (1711)
(Source)

In Greek mythology, the Pierian Spring was sacred to the Muses, representing the metaphorical source of knowledge.

The first line is more commonly paraphrased as "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."