If you look at the most respected people in the Perl community, people like Randal and Nat and Chip and mjd and The Damian, you'll find out that they are teachers. They write books, give presentations, write articles, and still find time to produce code.

If you aspire to similar things, take an article or module documentation from one of those fellows and rewrite it in your own words. Rephrase things. Call your mother and explain it to her. Mentor someone with less experience.

This will do three things for you. First, you will learn a tremendous amount just by studying high-quality material. Second, you will test your understanding of the material by having to discover internal connections and external metaphors necessary to explain a new concept to another. Finally, you will hone the ability to recall where you first came across something. (Knowing where to look to find something is more important than being able to memorize facts -- there are more facts than you can memorize.)

merlyn is a good teacher because he is very effective at communicating to groups of people. I'm trying to develop that ability. :)

Agreed, completely. I have a little knowledge in a lot of areas, and when I decide to take it upon myself to answer a question in one of those areas that I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but I don't know why or how, I will spend a few minutes taking that little bit of knowledge and turning it into something I can use to answer their question. In the process, I pick up quirks, or I might wonder "why the hell is THAT the case?" and then learn why. The result is that I am now competant, or even "good" with that little area. Repeat this process enough, and one can become an expert in nearly anything.

Except the opposite sex, where the more you know, the less you are able to figure out. =P

--
$you = new YOU;
honk() if $you->love(perl)

That is part of the "knowledge" tradition - what you discover, you share with others, so that all can make use and continue to further your own knowledge.

However, there is a great deal of difference between being knowledgable and a know-it-all. You very quickly learn who is worthwhile approaching for information - and it is not just the correctness of their response, but their willingness to share and raise you up to their level. Those with true knowledge seeks to raise other up to their level, those who pretend to know seek to pull all others down.

You ever-handy interface to google remembered Newton, and came up with the following essay that somewhat confirms that.

Actually it says that the image was famously presented by Newton, but mentions that it is properly attributed to Bernard of Chartes in the 12'th century.

I am glad I checked. :-)

I actually decided to do some research (hey- Friday afternoon before Christmas things are quiet) and found two similar quotes attributed to Sir Isaac Newton:

If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention, than to any other talent. Isaac Newton

If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants. Isaac Newton

"Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens."
- Jimi Hendrix