"If you cannot explain something in simple terms, then you don’t understand it"
About this Quote
The subtext is also about authority. In a culture soaked in jargon, the person who can compress chaos into a clean framework looks like the adult in the room. That’s a persuasive advantage in boardrooms, on sales calls, and especially online, where “simple” content scales and “complicated” content dies. The quote quietly rewards people who can package knowledge, not just possess it.
There’s an implicit critique of credentialism here too. You don’t get to lean on degrees, buzzwords, or “it’s nuanced” as a shield. If you understand a funnel, a market, or a hiring plan, you should be able to explain it to a new employee in under a minute.
The risky edge: simplicity can be performance, not truth. Some things are genuinely complex; reducing them can become marketing, not understanding. Hormozi’s point still lands because it’s less about dumbing down and more about owning the work of thinking until it becomes usable.
Quote Details
| Topic | Knowledge |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Hormozi, Alex. (2026, January 13). If you cannot explain something in simple terms, then you don’t understand it. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-you-cannot-explain-something-in-simple-terms-184007/
Chicago Style
Hormozi, Alex. "If you cannot explain something in simple terms, then you don’t understand it." FixQuotes. January 13, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-you-cannot-explain-something-in-simple-terms-184007/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"If you cannot explain something in simple terms, then you don’t understand it." FixQuotes, 13 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-you-cannot-explain-something-in-simple-terms-184007/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.








