Painterly blue and white teacup with gold cracks beside a magnifying glass on dark teal cloth.

Original artwork, not a still

Werner Heisenberg

An expert is someone who knows some of the worst mistakes that can be made in his subject and how to avoid them.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Expertise, the speaker suggests, is less about knowing everything than about knowing the worst errors possible in a field and how to steer clear of them. An expert is defined by learned caution and by avoiding disaster.

Context reviewed

Share this quote