Origin
This proverb first appeared in 1709.
Explanation
A small amount of knowledge can mislead people into thinking that they are more expert than they really are.The implication is that a small amount of knowledge can lead to over-confidence, leaping to invalid conclusions based on what you do know without taking into account the things that you don’t know. It’s contrasted with a large amount of knowledge, which would presumably lead one to be more cautious or to at least draw better conclusions. When we learn something; we should learn it thoroughly. If a man picks up a little knowledge about electrical instruments, and then tries to repair an electrical instrument, he is likely to spoil the instrument. If a person knows a little about medicines, and then tries to treat patients he is likely to kill many patients. It is, therefore, dangerous to know only a little about something and then to imagine that we know everything. Before applying our knowledge, we should take care of acquiring complete knowledge about the subject. But really learned men never make a show of their learning. They are modest. They know that though they have learnt much, they have yet to learn much more.
Example
He said he’d done a course on home electrics, but when he tried to mend my table lamp, he fused all the lights. I think a little learning is a dangerous thing.
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