a little knowledge is a dangerous thing en · X
Etymology
A slight misquotation of Alexander Pope’s a little learning is a dangerous thing. The earliest use dates from a magazine published in 1774.
Meanings
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A limited understanding of a subject can lead individuals to overestimate their expertise, often resulting in errors or misguided decisions due to false confidence.
Of course anybody can saw off a limb; but here, as so often happens, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and a little more will often save a dear old friend of the family and the neighborhood.
1926, Francis Blake Atkinson, Hallam Hawksworth, A Year in the Wonderland of Trees, page 176:
Relateds
Dunning-Kruger effect · unknown unknown · zeal without knowledge is a runaway horse · infohazard