“A little knowledge is dangerous” is a common phrase. It’s meaning is that a small amount of knowledge can cause people to think they are more expert than they really are.
The origin is from Alexander Pope (1688-1744) – from An Essay on Criticism, 1709. The complete quote is:
“A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again.”
I love these words. Contemplate those last 6 words, “…and drinking largely sobers us again.” Today we might tend to read that as saying that “drinking” will “largely sober us.” In other words, we might read the word “largely” in this sentence as an adverb modifying the verb “sobers.” But of course, Pope was using it as is should be used, as an adverb modifying the word “drinking.”
“Drinking” is usually a verb itself, but here it is used as a noun even though it is normally not a noun. It is the subject of this independent clause. That is why the adverb “largely” must modify “sobers”, the verb, in the clause and not “drinking”, the subject. But our modern manner of speaking might have it modify the subject, which is completely wrong and changes the meaning of the phrase.
So the correct way to read the phrase is that “drinking largely” of the Pierian spring will “sober” us. i.e., stop us from thinking we know more that we actually do. To drink largely is to drink deep.
Pope’s little epigram is all the more complex because so many of the words in it are used metaphorically. And quite well used in that way.
Actually, my little interpretation may not be the final word on this subject. I can think of other examples where an adverb properly modifies a verb used as the subject of a sentence. For example:
Drinking excessively will get you in trouble.
Oh, well. A little knowledge is dangerous
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Pope’s “An Essay on Criticism” is also the source of another popular phrase: Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread.
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