As quoted in The Hedgehog and the Fox (1953) by Isaiah Berlin
Variant translations:
The fox knows many things; the hedgehog one great thing.
The fox knows many tricks; the hedgehog one good one.
The fox knows many tricks; and the hedgehog only one; but that is the best one of all.
Fragments
πόλλ' οἶδ' ἀλώπηξ, ἐχῖνος δ'ἓν μέγα
“The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.”
About prediction and forecasting. Fox commented that "psychologist Philip Tetlock (following the lead of Isaiah Berlin), divided the world of political forecasters into hedgehogs and foxes."
Source: Justin Fox. " How to Be Bad at Forecasting https://hbr.org/2012/05/how-to-be-bad-at-forecasting.html," in Harvard Business Review, May 11, 2012.
“They know too many things they should not know and they do not know some things they need to know.”
Moore, Malcolm. " 'Ai Weiwei: "The police can be very tough, but I can be tougher sometimes.”' http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-features/9299885/Ai-Weiwei-The-police-can-be-very-tough-but-I-can-be-tougher-sometimes.html," in: Telegraph, May 30, 2012.
2010-, 2012
Shock The Monkey
Song lyrics, Peter Gabriel (IV), Security (1982)
Justin Fox. " How to Be Bad at Forecasting https://hbr.org/2012/05/how-to-be-bad-at-forecasting.html," in Harvard Business Review, May 11, 2012.
“There are many who know many things, yet are lacking in wisdom.”
Source Book in Ancient Philosophy (1907), The Golden Sayings of Democritus
Source: Yoga For People Who Can't Be Bothered To Do It (1993), p. 15
“Whoever knows many things
By nature is a poet.”
Olympian 2, line 87; page 16; the Greek simply says:
"wise is one who knows much by nature," but σοφός is Pindar's usual word for poet.
Variant translations:
Inborn of nature's wisdom
The poet's truth.
Olympian Odes (476 BC)
Source: 2000s, A little book of f-laws: 13 common sins of management, 2006, p. 2 cited in: Gregory H. Watson (2010) "By rejecting the status quo, Russ Ackoff took systems thinking to greater heights" in: QP. vol 27, March 2010, p. 30.
