Randall Jarrell Quotes

No one intellect should ever strive for distinction in more than one pursuit. Those who boast of preeminence in many arts are either divinely endowed or utterly shameless or simply mad.

Everybody's got a different circle of competence. The important thing is not how big the circle is. The important thing is staying inside the circle.

Everyone is a reactionary about subjects he understands.

You should have a fund of knowledge of something and out of that you make up you mind.

Philosophy is for the few.

Every man gets a narrower and narrower field of knowledge in which he must be an expert in order to compete with other people. The specialist knows more and more about less and less and finally knows everything about nothing.

You see and work with many of the same people over and over again; they are all specialists in what they do. I could never do their jobs, and they say they wouldn't know how to start to do a warm-up.

Training, that's my specialty.

We all know a lot about something. We all have a passion about something.

My basic strategy is to stick to my core business and to my area of expertise.

Astronomy is written for astronomers

Each profession has its own toolkit.

I believe strongly that philosophy has nothing to do with specialists.

If I have any insight at all to contribute it is this: find out what you are really good at and stick to it.

There's a lot of ignorance in our business... Everybody's an authority. To have your own vision is rewarding.

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

Everyone says you have to be a specialist, and if you conduct Wagner you cannot conduct Mozart - this is nonsense.

Everybody is so terribly sensitive about the things they know best.

Impossible situations are our specialty.

Why don't you confer with Mr. Finnigan? As I recall, he has a particular proclivity for pyrotechnics.

Wherever learning breeds specialists, the sum of human culture is enhanced thereby. That is the illusion and consolation of specialists.

I dread specialists in power because they are specialists speaking outside of their special subject.

Every character sees the world through a framework of education and experience that they're proud experts about. To write a character, find out what they know best, and THEN you'll know how they'll describe a "hot day." Or a "pretty girl."

A good writer is an expert on nothing except himself. And on that subject, if he is wise, he holds his tongue.

I would have every man write what he knows and no more.