Jack of All Trades: Good or Bad?

Benjamin Franklin. All around smart dude and founding father is known for many things like his theories on electricity (i.e. that whole kite and key thing) and notably his help in drafting the Declaration of Independence. But what you may not know is that he is famous for saying one of the most egregiously misquoted statements in human history. That’s a little dramatic but nonetheless we all know the quote as this:

“A jack of all trades is a master of none…”

Let it be known that I have personally added the ellipses to the end of that statement for a reason and the reason being that it is only but half of the actual statement made by good ole’ Ben. The original quote is in fact, “A jack of all trades is a master of none , but oftentimes better than a master of one.” Hmm, a little different connotation don’t you think?

Here’s the scary part. A quick google search of the first quote mentioned above will flood your screen with pages and articles on why it is advantageous to specialize and become very good at just one thing. Literally article after article using this half quote to impart “wisdom”, when in reality the full quotation means quite the opposite of what most people have come to believe.

Pretty wild huh? Well I think there are two lessons to take away from this rant of mine. The first lesson being this: in the past when you’ve heard or said the famous quote, did you actually believe it to be true to you? Because the only reason I found out that half of the quote was missing is because I couldn’t imagine being a ‘jack of all trades’ was really a bad thing. So just because it is popular and widely accepted doesn’t mean that it is always true. The second lesson pertains to the quote itself and how it encourages us to try new things and learn new skills constantly.

There is a reason our training at DEUCE is constantly varied and why we take such pride in coaching new skills. At the gym and in life it pays to be a student and a good student is always hungry to learn new things.

So if you’re seeking permission to be a man or woman of many talents, consider this permission granted. You don’t trust me, just listen to Ben: 

“Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What’s a Sun-Dial in the shade!”