Dr Ubaldina Noronha
The old proverb ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ is often used to gently mock the person who dabbles in everything but excels in nothing. Yet few people know the full story behind it. Historically, the phrase ‘jack of all trades’ first appeared in print in the early 17th century, in Geffray Mynshul’s book, Essays and Characters of a Prison. But its complete phrase that is less well known is ‘A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.’ Over time, the derogatory addition ‘master of none’ was tacked on, and by the late 18th century the phrase was limited to ‘jack of all trades, master of none’.
Because most people only know the truncated version, the proverb has carried a wrong connotation for a long time. It has been used to shame curious, multi-talented individuals and to glorify a single-minded pursuit of mastery. In schools, workplaces, and families, we often hear, ‘Don’t spread yourself too thin. Pick one thing and stick to it. You cannot be good at everything.’
Psychologically, this narrow interpretation promotes a limited view of competence. It suggests that value lies only in deep expertise and that anything less is mediocrity. In reality, the original spirit of the saying points in the opposite direction: Being broadly capable or versatile is an asset and not a flaw. In fact, it can be treated as a form of intelligence.
The cultural leaning towards a mastery-only approach has a narrow reach. In contemporary life, especially in areas like work, relationships, health and technology, people having wide-ranging skills end up being more useful, adaptable and effective overall than someone who has mastered only one narrow area.
Psychological flexibility, the ability to stay present and open even when circumstances shift, is a core predictor of mental health and wellbeing. They are less likely to be derailed when one domain becomes unstable, because their identity and competence are distributed across multiple areas of life.
A parent who holds a family together can cook, manage a household budget, offer emotional support, navigate school systems, and understand basic health advice. They may not be a master as in a chef, accountant, therapist or doctor, but their holistic capacity keeps the family functioning and thriving.
A village teacher in many schools may handle multiple subjects, counsel students, coordinate events, and act as a liaison with parents. Their versatility ensures that the school runs smoothly, even with limited resources. In each case, these individuals are not less than specialists. They are exercising a form of intelligence that keeps systems such as families and schools resilient and adaptive.
Several psychological frameworks resonate with this holistic view. Jordan Peterson, a Canadian clinical psychologist, describes this as having a bigger bag of tricks, that is, having a larger repertoire of cognitive and behavioural strategies to draw upon when life throws unexpected challenges.
The self-determination theory by psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan highlights three basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. A holistic, all-round approach to life can nourish all three. Autonomy grows when we choose to explore multiple domains rather than being boxed into one role. Competence is experienced not just as depth in one skill, but as the confidence that we can learn, adapt, and function across contexts. Relatedness expands as we connect with diverse communities, be they artists, scientists, athletes, caregivers, each offering different forms of belonging and meaning.
In life, the most adaptive systems are not the most specialised but the most flexible, connected and capable of reorganising themselves in the face of change. Being a jack of all trades then is not a compromise; rather, it is a sophisticated form of intelligence, one that honours the full complexity of being human.
(The writer is Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, St Xavier’s College, Mapusa)
