A man will turn over half a library to make one book.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- People will sacrifice half a library to obtain a single book.
- In plain terms
- People give up a lot for one book.
- What can you take from it?
- Obsession with a single source can eclipse broader knowledge.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is specialization justified?
- How can we prevent losing broader perspective?
Another view
Sometimes focusing on one source is necessary.
More from Samuel Johnson
Attack is the reaction; I never think I have hit hard unless it rebounds.
Permalink to quote #140 Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.
Permalink to quote #142 Read over your compositions, and wherever you meet with a passage which you think is particularly fine, strike it out.
Permalink to quote #139
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