Henry Hazlitt Quote
The dilemma is this. In the modern world knowledge has been growing so fast and so enormously, in almost every field, that the probabilities are immensely against anybody, no matter how innately clever, being able to make a contribution in any one field unless he devotes all his time to it for years. If he tries to be the Rounded Universal Man, like Leonardo da Vinci, or to take all knowledge for his province, like Francis Bacon, he is most likely to become a mere dilettante and dabbler. But if he becomes too specialized, he is apt to become narrow and lopsided, ignorant on every subject but his own, and perhaps dull and sterile even on that because he lacks perspective and vision and has missed the cross-fertilization of ideas that can come from knowing something of other subjects.
The dilemma is this. In the modern world knowledge has been growing so fast and so enormously, in almost every field, that the probabilities are immensely against anybody, no matter how innately clever, being able to make a contribution in any one field unless he devotes all his time to it for years. If he tries to be the Rounded Universal Man, like Leonardo da Vinci, or to take all knowledge for his province, like Francis Bacon, he is most likely to become a mere dilettante and dabbler. But if he becomes too specialized, he is apt to become narrow and lopsided, ignorant on every subject but his own, and perhaps dull and sterile even on that because he lacks perspective and vision and has missed the cross-fertilization of ideas that can come from knowing something of other subjects.
Related Quotes
About Henry Hazlitt
Hazlitt was a strong proponent of sound monetary policy and a vocal critic of inflationary practices and government intervention in markets. As a defender of free enterprise, he drew on the ideas of economists such as Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek, helping popularize their theories for a general audience. Beyond economics, Hazlitt contributed to debates on philosophy and ethics, advocating for the moral underpinnings of a free society. He also served as an editorial board member of the libertarian journal The Freeman and was a founding member of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), one of the oldest free-market think tanks in the United States.
Throughout his life, Hazlitt's writing and commentary significantly influenced public understanding of economic policy, and his works continue to inspire advocates of liberty and limited government around the world.