Sunday, August 7, 2011

A little learning is a dangerous thing

James Geary's The World in a Phrase: A Brief History of the Aphorism.

I have long enjoyed Alexander Pope though for some reason he seems to be held in low regard in academia. Only from Geary's book have I discovered that he, like the King James Bible or Shakespeare writ small, made a number of enduring contributions to our language and culture. He it was, apparently, who originated:
A little learning is a dangerous thing.

To err is human, to forgive divine.

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

Hope springs eternal in the human breast.

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